Hi Pirates (and friends!),

It is with regret that we announce we have decided to voluntarily deregister with the Australian Electoral Commission as a result of too few formal members. While this is unfortunate, we do believe it will be a temporary setback: read on!

Our party needs 500 members to maintain registration, and our procedures are such that people need to renew their membership yearly. Last year, we had under 300 members, and we on the National Council initiated a phoning campaign — perhaps you’ve had us call you. Some time later, we’ve made it up past 400 members — a positive trend.
Nevertheless, we were unable to get to 500 members by the AEC’s deadline.

So, if you’ve not renewed — please do. Make sure your voter enrolment details are up to date and match our contact details for you, so we can re-register easily.

We’ll continue to try to lift our numbers, but you can do your part too: invite a friend!

We’ve started doing live-streams on a number of topics, and continue to maintain a presence on social media, make submissions and put out press releases. Regardless of our party status, it is something we will continue to do.

At present, there’s a lot more energy around issues of digital rights, privacy, surveillance capitalism, the right to repair, and ethics in foreign policy & our own national governance. The Pirate Party continues to have relevance in today’s world, and we will continue to pursue Pirate Party issues.

Let’s all be a part of that journey!

The National Council
Pirate Party Australia

P.S. National Council currently has two vacancies — Deputy Secretary and Deputy Treasurer…

 

Do you like memes? Do you make memes? We’re proud to announce that tonight we’re launching the Remix This! Meme Mashup Competition.

Watch: at 6pm AEST on Facebook Live https://fb.me/e/1yVtiYg6i with video to be uploaded to YouTube later. Alternatively, read on…

What: Creators have one month to create a 6-30 second video clip that mashes up content from existing sources to create a remix that is relevant to Australian politics or society.

Why: Pirates are all about free access to media, culture, commentary and politics. Let’s prove it. Down with censorship and copyright!

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The results of Pirate Party Australia’s July 2018 National Congress are in!

The Pirate Party held its National Congress in Brisbane on July 78. Congresses are the time when members of the party can propose amendments to the Party Constitution, amend and adopt policies, decide leadership positions, and meet andsocialise in person. Congresses conclude with an online voting period to give all members a sayThe results of the now-concluded week-long voting period can now be announced. 

The Party had a turnout of approximately 21% from a pool of 732 participants.

Thank you to everyone who ran for positions and congratulations to those who were elected.

A reminder that election to the National Council is but one of many ways to contribute to the party. We are always looking for people to help on the press team, design team, in policy development, social media, writing submissions, research and so on, or just be an ongoing voice in the party. With an election in prospect, we have a particular opportunity to make a difference and shake things up this year. To get involved, email [email protected].

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The seat of Bennelong is up for by-election on Saturday 16 December 2017.

We are considering contesting this by-election, but only if we get enough volunteers to do it properly. If there are not enough volunteers by Monday, our campaign will not go ahead. We know that this isn’t much time, but there is a lot of paperwork to nominate a candidate and very little time to do it in as nominations close soon.

We are looking for volunteers locally who are in commuting distance to Bennelong NSW, and Australia-wide who can offer assistance online. We particularly need a coordinator who is on the ground in Sydney.

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