Pirate Congress 2015/Nominations
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Official Party Document
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Nominations
National Council
President
Simon Frew
I have been an activist for 19 years and have been a member of the Pirate Party since its foundation. Due to my experience and dedication to the movement, I feel that I am the best candidate to serve as leader through what is likely to be our second federal election and beyond.
If elected President I will work to increase participation by members, grow the Party and our profile. I will strive to sharpen our critique of the growing Police state and fight back against the bi-partisan assault on our civil liberties and human rights.I have contributed to countless press releases, spoken at a wide range of events, including the Sydney Film Festival, Whistleblowers Australia's AGM, Copyright is Theft debate at University of Technology Sydney and conducted numerous interviews on behalf of the Party. I have contributed to various legal reviews and internal policy debates which contribute to the intellectual substance of the Party.
I will continue to fight for civil liberties, governmental transparency and sensible Intellectual Property laws whether or not I am elected to the National Council. I am involved in politics for the long haul. I believe that if you aren't happy with the way things are, you must try to make it better. I can't imagine not being involved in the fight to make a better world and I believe the Pirate Party is the best organisation to do this because we are science based, principled, democratic and open to ideas and different views.I support the Pirate Party platform and ideals and will do my best to uphold them into the future.
I have been an activist for the last 19 years, so have participated in a wide range of movements and campaigns. I joined the Pirate Party in its very early days because it aligned with my beliefs and goals and joining was the best way I could contribute to politics in Australia.- None
Deputy President
Michael Keating
I joined the National council in 2014 as Registered Officer, in which time I have helped both as a Councillor and representative of the Pirate Party Australia. Prior to this I served as QLD coordinator. My professional experience in a client facing, business IT role as will help in my aims of making the Pirate Party Australia more accessible and louder in the general population. I feel we can take our message not just to tech-minded individuals and activists, but to people at all levels of the community and business. Our policies span beyond digital and civil liberties, into common sense policies including welfare, environmental and energy reform which will serve to benefit our communities and businesses, and this is a point of difference from the major parties that we can capitalize on.
The time is right for the Pirate Party Australia to be a genuine alternative party at all levels of government and it is time for us to reach that level. Continuing to be a part of the National Council will allow me to work with the other members to bring our message to the majority and help the Pirate Party Australia on its path to becoming a legitimate, progressive alternative political party.I have a passion for contributing to the Pirate Party that being on the National Council has helped, but there is much work to do. The role of Deputy President is one of public facing responsibility, and I would like to 'step up' into this role as others have moved on, so we can have a strong public voice on our core and other issues. There is other internal work to be done including building processes for teams to use consistently inside the party and building our internal teams so we don't rely on a core person/persons to do the work.
The party needs to scale, and my experience in helping to scale a Brisbane IT company into an enterprise would be, in my view, important to provide direction on how to build the party's systems and people to allow us to grow in the direction we want. Finally, being available for comment in the media is an important role as well, in line with taking our message to the majority. Experience in doing this with the party in the last 12 months, as well as over a decade in client-facing IT roles and public speaking experience will serve me well in this role, with the backing of a positive message from the Party.Since joining the party in 2014 I have helped campaign in the 2014 Griffith by-election, where Pirate Party Australia received the 4th highest vote. I have also contributed to the party both as previous QLD Coordinator and Registered Officer.
I feel that we have strong core policies and are always looking to improve them, however we need to have these policies and ideals recognized in the public more than what they are now. We are on the verge of being recognized as a genuine political alternative and I would like to take this message beyond our core supporters - every day people that the current government systems leave behind and don't benefit. From workers, people on pensions, to business owners, I believe our policies will appeal to the majority and I want to help take our message to them.- Twitter: D_Keating
Tom Randle
My professional and life experience covers theatre and event production, branding and marketing, project management, as well as being a full time programmer for the last 7 odd years. I'm ready to put these skills to use for the party if I'm elected to the National Council.
The next Federal election is coming, and we need to be ready.
My vision for the coming year is pretty simple:
We need to grow and fast, because we're out of time. The Labor and Liberal parties are trashing digital freedoms and they need to be stopped, our success at elections is about the only way to reverse course and repeal the mass surveillance regimes, internet censorship and all the other flawed policies inflicted on everyone by the major parties.
We can be so much more than where we are now, as I look around the world at Pirate movements appearing all over the place, I cannot help but conclude our time is now. All we have to do is communicate the pirate world view and let people participate. But to be blunt, we've sucked at that so far. I want to fix that.
The internet has revolutionised the distribution of information, we're here to revolutionise the distribution of decision making. We need to live up to that expectation and I think I can help.
I'm looking forward to getting down to work with the next National Council.
My priorities:
- Resolving our membership communication issues and improving participation between congresses
- Our members need access to the tools and community we have here to fully participate from the day they join.
- Preparing for and reaching a critical mass, it's time the mainstream really heard about the Pirate movement in Australia and our vision for the future
- I want to see people working for us and paid full time as soon as it is financially sustainable.
- Getting our members the resources and support they need from the National Council to get-things-done.
- There's too much I want to do to list it all here, I'm available for a chat just get in touch, but primarily I'll work with the National Council and all our members to get our shared goals completed as quickly as we can.
Since becoming a member I've contributed across many areas of our organisation.
The things I'm most proud of:
- being the lead Senate candidate for Tasmania at the 2013 federal election
- as the Campaigns Officer for a while, as well as running the Campaigns Committee in the lead up to the last federal election
- as a member of the Elections Committee during the last election campaign
- as the first Tasmanian State Coordinator
- running most of our social media accounts on Facebook and Google+ over the last few years.
- producing things! Posters, flyers, designing and building our current website theme and much content (needs another complete overhaul), letter boxing flyers, contributing to press releases etc.
I agree with our platform, believe in our founding principles and I have not been involved in any other political parties.
- Rundll on IRC
Secretary
Daniel Judge
Having held the position of Secretary for the past two years I feel I have gotten a good feel for the position and what is required by it. I do hope the party membership will see fit to allow me to continue in either the Secretary or Deputy Secretary role so as to give me a chance to continue to contribute to party at this level. I also endorse Fletcher Boyd's candidacy for both Secretary and/or Deputy Secretary.
Aside from being the incumbent Secretary, I am also on the Policy Development Committee and remain committed to seeing the Pirate Party become an important political force in Australia.
Outside of the party I currently work full-time at the University of Wollongong as an "Analyst/Web Architect" (aka 'Web/Multimedia Programmer') and have done so since 1998.
In 2010 I completed a Bachelor of Internet Science and Technology with Distinction, having changed from half way through second year of an earlier Bachelor of Arts (History & Politics degree). I feel these give me a good awareness of IT issues as well as their associated socio-political ramifications.
Previously I worked the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs at the Commonwealth Employment Service in various roles, ranging from in-house Computer Trainer, to Case Manager of Long Term Unemployed, to administering large scale recruitment activities, running workshops, as well as a range of Administrative activities.
In addition to the above I also have completed certificates, diplomas and training courses in a number of areas such as Spanish Language, Electronics Technology, Office Administration, Multimedia Production and various in-house employer training in matters such as dispute resolution, cross cultural awareness, indigenous affairs, time management, Equal Employment Opportunity, and interview panels.
My education and employment history has given me a broad experience in dealing with people from a wide array of backgrounds and motivations and allow me to have a good grasp in many different fields of interest.
I am a father of three and have traveled extensively around the world.
Having spent the last two years in the Secretary position I feel it is important to retain some level of constancy in the position, whether that be remaining as Secretary, or working as Deputy Secretary to assist a new Secretary. Of particular concern this year are a number of valued contirbutors no longer running for the National Council and so I feel obliged to remain on the executive to assist in ensuring a smooth transition into the new year and a possible Federal Election period.
Serving on the National Council for teh past two years has only increased my desire to see the party succeed and remain involved in doing so. As well as reaffirming my belief that the Pirate Party is a party worth backing and putting time and effort into. I do feel that remaining involved in the NC in this capacity is the best way I can continue to contribute to the party.
As well as occupying the position of Secretary I am also on the Policy Development Committee helping to draft, approve and broaden current and future party policies.
This past year we were also audited by the AEC to ensure our continued registration. Many other Federal Parties have this year fallen afoul of this process and been de-registered, but I was especially proud of our party members response to this audit as well as our organisational and administrative structures which ensured we passed this audit problem free. Having previously worked on the Registration Work Group during our initial registration process some years ago now, I was especially glad to have had this process go smoothly and considering the numerous hours put into both of these efforts I most certainly have a vested interest in ensuring that we continue to remain registered.
I have assisted when possible in the writing and proofing of a number of Press Releases and review/inquiry submissions, maintaining wiki resources, and fielding a range inquiries via email and over the phone, along with various administrative duties that have come with being Secretary (such as obtaining quotes and placing orders for goods, overseeing and approving various design materials, taking and marking up meeting minutes, party correspondence, membership details and updates and so on). I also acted in the NSW Coordinator position during Brendan Molloy's absence overseas.
In the future I hope to put into practice the lessons learned from our experiences during the previous Federal Election campaign and start working now towards the next upcoming Federal Election. In addition to further working on 'future proofing' the Pirate Party by heling work towards having good processes and documentation in place and working to build localised nad grass roots support for the party at the State and Local levels. Additionally working hard to build the member base and further building a good organisational structure to support that will be essential the party's future, especially if we see the major parties pass electoral reforms that could make party registration more difficult.
In the Pirate Party I finally found a political party and movement that I feel has the right mix of policies, principles and democratic practice. I am really enjoying seeing the party expand it's platform in a good direction which I feel is essential to most voters for the Pirate Party to be considered a worthy of their vote. Our commitment to scientific evidence based policies is even more crucial under the current government. I still feel that the broadening of the surveillance state is the biggest threat to our way of life and the democratic future of the next generations. Meanwhile the Internet stands to be one of the most crucial tools and one of the best opportunities to enable the people to empower themselves, educate themselves and set things right. Similarly it could also be a great danger should it be subverted by those who fear it, or who stand to gain by turning it against the population. Preventing this outcome is imperative to deciding the direction of society in coming years. As such I wholeheartedly support the Pirate Party platform and its ideals.
I have a long history of being involved in politics having many decades ago been a member of the Labor Party, however I quickly became disillusioned with the internal machinations of the ALP and resigned long ago. I then became involved in what is now the Socialist Alliance, but was not comfortable with many of their actions and ideals, not least of which was a far too authoritarian nature.
During the late 90's early 00's I was involved in many grass-roots local groups and campaigns around local environmental issues, Freedom for East Timor, Anti-War, refugee issues and opposing racism and Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party.
Having largely left the political scene due to family illnesses, a desire to raise a family and the drive to complete my University degree, I had observed the Pirate Party with interest from its foundation days, finally joining a number of years ago due to an overwhelming desire to help the party achieve its successful registration. Having done so, I now haven't looked back and am grateful to finally find a political party that matches my own views and principles in regard to transparency, participatory democracy, information technology, and the focus on digital rights and civil liberties.Twitter: @feenicks
Email: [email protected]
IRC: DanielJ
Fletcher Boyd
I'm running for Secretary/Deputy Secretary so that I can continue to assist with the smooth operation of the party and to further the movement as a whole. I believe that over the past year I have made a positive contribution to the party and wish to continue doing so as a member of the National Council.
The coming year is going to be a test for the party. We will be facing not only another election but also adjusting to the loss of Brendan Molloy within the executive. Regardless of whether I am elected this time around I will be assisting the party in any way I can to get us the best election result and the largest sustainable growth in members possible.Since joining the party mid 2013 I have assisted the party in several roles. As the State Coordinator for Western Australia and primary candidate for the 2014 senate re-election I represented the party in the media and within other activist and advocacy groups both in WA and Australia wide. As Deputy Secretary and a member of the National Council I have worked towards a more efficient party. In the past year I have also joined the board of EFA with the goal of sharing the knowledge gained from my time in the movement with the larger digital rights community.
My goals for the coming year include:
- Redoing our website to better present some of the information available on the wiki.
- Restructuring the Councillor positions within the National Council to better assist other positions.
- Providing increased assistance to state groups so that we can reach more Australians.
- Preparing the party for the 2016 federal election.
- @FletcherAU
- [email protected]
- PirateIRC: Fletcher
Deputy Secretary
Peter Fulton
Having being a member of the party since late 2009, I have witnessed the party grow from its early beginnings, maturing to its current state.
Although since the commencement of my membership I have not put myself up to be slotted into any major roles, I feel my own growth and maturity within the party has finally come to the point where I can put my hand up for something, on top of simply being a positive member to be added to the active membership tally that helps keep us registered.
When not doing Piratey things, I work full time in corporate IT Service Desk environments and have held such roles since 2008, often being involved with assisting my line management with administration and paperwork to further enhance work processes and clearing red tape. In parallel to my full time job, I provide IT assistance to my dad's small business.
After completing my HSC in 2003, I earned my Certificate 4 in IT in 2009, and have attained at least 1 specialised Microsoft certification, in progress to accomplish becoming a certified MCITP. I am also heavily involved my Karate club, GKR ("Go Kan Ryu"), which I have been a member of since I was 10, helping in one of my classes as an assistant instructor ("Sempai").Though I can be reluctant to do any public speaking, I otherwise excel behind the scenes, contributing myself as a self-oiling cog in the machine to help keep the ship afloat and sailing about.
I generally like to work my way up from the bottom to ensure that, once enough experience has been acquired and maintained, I can be capable of filling bigger shoes if circumstances require it.- I have contributed to all fund raising campaigns to date.
- I helped handing out party flyers to the public in Sydney CBD leading up to the 2013 Federal Election.
- I help radiate our existence across Social Media platforms as a member of the Social Media team, as well as help educate the uninformed public of why we exist when we are questioned/ridiculed.
- As a member of the International Relations Committee, I have established dialogue with some like-minded parties based in Asia Pacific countries (with confirmed contact so far with a group in India and at least 1 of the 3 Japan groups), a task that will lead up to our assistance, where possible, to get them "on their feet" and help form the APAC equivalent of PPEU and help strengthen further the global movement.
- I own the domain name savetheinter.net which I have donated its use to serve the interest of the party and the net neutrality cause overall.
Treasurer
Mark Gibbons
As Deputy Treasurer I helped to end PPAU's banking nightmare and negotiated with our new bank to get our accounts operating for free. I've also represented PPAU in external forums- including as a negotiator at the new 'minor party alliance' and as a speaker on IP reform at the Liberal Democratic Party's National Conference.
Before I was on the NC I was Policy Development Officer and had responsibility for leading the team which developed the 2013 election platform. I also oversaw preference negotiations for that election, and the follow-up in WA. Before that I was a pirate-affiliated candidate in the 2012 elections and did a share of radio and newspaper interviews and community gatherings to get our message out there. I've also written the odd article, speech, and PR.I agree with our platform and fully support the core values including freedom of speech, privacy and liberty, and support for culture and science.
Before PPAU I was politically homeless except for a brief and misguided stint as an ALP-aligned student politician in the 1990s.
Deputy Treasurer
Ben McGinnes
I have worked on a number of issues which advance the interests of the party, including being a member of:
- the National Council (Treasurer), 2013-15
- the Policy Development Committee, 2012-15
- the Bill of Rights Working Group
- the Domestic Violence Working Group
- the Election Committee, 2013-14
- the Victorian State Coordinator, 2013-14 (approx. 18 months)
Major issues handled during my time as Treasurer include, but are not limited to:
- The Party's first annual returns to the AEC following our successful registration.
- The Party's first federal election campaign and the funding of it.
- The Party's first electoral return and the discovery that it was handoled entirely in the following annual return (the one lodged last October) due to peculiarities of electoral legislation.
- Migrating the Party's bank account (with Mark's invaluable assistance) from the old Bendigo Bank account to ANZ.
- Resolving the recent trouble which came from the unlawful seizure of the Party's PayPal account and freezing the funds therein. (N.B. A summary of those events for the benefit of the membership will be included with this year's Treasurer's Report).
- This is my preferred position, followed by a councillor position.
- Organised Adversary
- Ben on IRC.
- My previous nominations are available from 2013 and from last year.
- Twitter: @benmcginnes
Registered Officer
David Crafti
I was the President back in 2009/2010, when I was heavily involved in the drafting of media releases, and I've had lots of experience representing the party in interviews and speaking at rallies.
I've served in roles ranging from the Dispute Resolutions Committee and the Policy Development Committee to the Constitutional Review Committee, so I've got a good understanding of the policies and procedures that contribute to running the party.
Professionally, I'm a CTO at a start-up, so I manage a small team of developers in an agile environment, and I have a law degree, which helps with understanding policies a legalistic viewpoint.We all know how much Australia needs the policies of the Pirate Party, and how destructive major party politics has become in this country. I want to do all I can to contribute to, and promote, our policies, so that we can create a world we're proud to pass onto our children. That's a pretty big goal, but I believe in delivering frequent, incremental improvements, and that's something I think we can do.
Over the last year, I've not been as involved with the party as I've wanted, including being a pretty lacklustre Victorian Coordinator. I'm about to move house to a location that will save me about 2 hours of travel time per day, so I feel I can finally spend a decent amount of time helping the party.As mentioned, I was the party's first President, where I helped with all forms of press-, and membership-related work.
I've been on the Policy Development Committee since its formation, where I've contributed in small or in large part to many policies, so I've seen this party grow from being seen as a single issue copyright group to a registered party focussed on civil liberties and social inclusion. I've also contributed to several submissions, one of which earned the Pirate Party an equal first ranking from the Australian Privacy Foundation.
During the last Federal Election, I spent about 10 hours straight handing out information and engaging with voters on the issues, so the polling booth I was at achieved double the state average, equating to about 1%.
Subsequent to serving as President, I've spoken at some rallies opposing censorship and supporting Wikileaks, and I push our agenda whenever I meet people in a context where they might be receptive.
I was the Victorian Coordinator this year, due to a lack of anyone else to take the role. I held a couple of meetings mid last year, and progressed plans for a public domain movie night at Fed Square, which I think a subsequent coordinator should continue.
I've also spent 3 non-contiguous years on the Dispute Resolution Committee, but that hasn't required any contribution due to a lack of disputes.
What I aim to do to better the party in the future is to work in a supportive role in the NC, to help build consensus and do whatever work is required to promote our ideals and policies. I feel an election coming, and I want to help us improve on our last performance, so we can influence policy more effectively. I'd like to be involved in speaking with other parties to try to pollinate our ideas directly across to them.I've said pretty much the same thing in prior years, that it's been amazing to be so opinionated about so many things, and to have been able to find a party that actually agrees substantively on everything worth mentioning. I honestly can't imagine another party that could match us.
I've not been a member of any other party, and whenever I speak to members of other parties, I get satisfaction discussing our policies and surprising them with how good they are.- Twitter: @dcrafti
Councillor (2 positions)
Adien Treleaven
I agree with the complete Pirate Party platform. I have noticed the evidence-based approach to policy rather than ideology and that has contributed to my support for the Pirate Party in Australia, including Pirate Party movements internationally. Values such as freedom of speech, freedom and the right to privacy are not a simple 'motto.' We have seen in history the results of sacrificing these core values.
Before joining the Pirate Party, I was and still am interested in economic theories such as Modern Monetary Theory as opposed to mainstream neoclassical economic interpretations. As an 18 year old, I have not yet voted. Yet after becoming disillusioned with anti-terror, anti-piracy and anti-privacy legislation (with full bipartisan support of the Liberal and Labor parties), I came across the Pirate Party and have since agreed with its social, economic and civil policies that seek to create progress in Australia.
Officers
Policy Development Officer
Andrew Downing
Nominated on the floor; defaulted.
Dispute Resolution Committee Member (1 position)
Nilay Crafti
- None