Canberra, February, 1999.
Minutes/Outline of the National Planning Meeting
Held in Dickson, ACT
From 1.00 on Friday, February 5, 1999.
Attendence:
SA: Kirsten Andrews, Scott Carn, Marni Curtis, Andrew Knox
VIC: Stephen Brooks, Terry MacDonald, Peter Sagar
NSW: James Cockayne
ACT: Sandy Pitcher
Apologies: Ryan Heath [NSW]
Opening:
Sandy Pitcher opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to Canberra. She
moved quickly into a discussion of what Yes Youth would be doing at the
National Convention of Republicans. This was discussed briefly, but was held
over primarily for later discussion.
Where we are:
Discussion moved to the current state of Yes Youth. Peter Sagar and
Terry MacDonald gave a brief history of the organisation to date. Each State
representative then briefed everyone else on the current activities and
functions of Yes Youth in their state. An important consideration was the
close and strong working relationship that had developed between Yes Youth
and the ARM. Sponsorship and funding were also discussed.
Administration:
Name Change:
This moved the discussion to administrative matters. There was a
unanimous consensus to unify the name of the organisation across
State/Territory boundaries. Accordingly, following the lead of South
Australia, the organisation will now officially be kown as Young
Australians for a Republic. All correspondence, logos, media releases,
and other advertising will bear this title. The current logo, however,
will be retained.
National Co-Ordination:
The issue of national or-ordination structures was raised. It was
determined to keep there informal and conventional; to ensure that
co-ordination was facilitated by close co-operation of State convenors;
and that state convenros swap materials where possible to avoid duplication.
Standardised documents: letterhead, registration forms, etc, are to be
developed and distributed. States may share information.
Campaign Style:
Campaign style was discussed. It is anticipated that most campaign work
will be media-based. It was common ground, however, that Young Australians
for a Republic is aiming itself at young people, not "baby-boomers".
Accordingly, media and other work will be tailored that way. Everyone agreed
that this will not be a campiagn based on street-marching or demonstrations.
This will be a media-smart, street-smart campaigned designed to hit the
youth market. The details of these campiagns will be determined on a state
by state basis.
One contentious issue which remained unresolved was which sub-markets each state would target and how: ethnic groups, queer groups, unemployed groups, students, rural youth, etc.
Website:
Stephen Brooks volunteered to set up a revamped website. He will be
helped by Scott Carn. Further work on finding web-space, a suitable domain
name, and web design was to be undertaken over the weekend.
Recruitment:
Recruitment was the next item on the agenda. Terry MacDonald discussed
strategies and materials for the upcoming university O-Weeks. It was
resolved that, where possible, other organisations' stalls would be
approached to distribute YAR material, or affiliate members with YAR. It was
also suggested that efforts should be made to prepare articles for the first
edition of university student newspapers.
Policy:
Preamble:
After adjourning to Tilley's Cafe, where the meeting reconvened,
discussion moved to the Preamble question. In preparation for the National
Convention of Republicans, in order to field any questions which might arise
during our presentation, a preliminary, non-binding policy position was
adopted: that we support a one question referendum including a revamped
preamble. This was a policy reached after much discussion, and is no way
binding on YAR.
Funding:
The funding issue was raised. If submissions for Federal Government
funding could be made, it was agreed that a national funding submission
would be produced and submitted. Other funding sources were discussed:
National Union of Students, individual sponsors, individual University
Unions.
Message:
The last item discussed was the over-arching question of what message
YAR is trying to promote. This was coupled with planning fot the hour-long
presentation to the National Convention of Republicans on Sunday, February 7,
1999.
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