Elected reps convene for Federal Council

Delegates at the 2018 Federal Council meeting.

Once every two years, MEAA’s elected Federal Council representatives come together for a face-to-face meeting where important decisions about the future of our union are made.

This year’s meeting will be held in Sydney on Friday and Saturday this week.

Federal Council has 92 members elected from each section and branch of the union. The current group was elected last year.

The council’s members also form the industry-specific MEAA national section committees that meet and communicate regularly to address issues, endorse strategies and actions, and share knowledge. The section committees play the central role in engaging active members in governance of the union.

National section committee meetings will be held on Thursday this week.

While Federal Council only meets face-to-face once every two years, the MEAA Board meets every month, and section committees several times a year.

The Federal Council meeting is chaired by federal president Simon Collins and will consider reports from each section along with all-of-union policies and any proposed changes to the rules or constitution of MEAA.

It will also debate for adoption a strategic plan for MEAA for 2020 to 2024.

Senator Patrick Dodson, Australia’s ‘Father of Reconciliation’, will be a guest speaker at Federal Council on Friday.