The next meeting of the WA Democrats executive is planned for 10am on Saturday 12th of May 2012, at the Como Bowls Club (99 Hensman St, South Perth). Members who cannot attend the meeting are welcome to contact us with any questions or concerns you would like raised.

Getting There

If you drive, there is parking on Hensman St. If you want to catch public transport, the 34 bus leaves from the Wellington St busport (9:10am and 9:40am) and stops just after the corner of Hensman St and Sandgate St, and it’s a very short walk from there.

Nominations are hereby invited for the position of President of the West Australian Division of the Australian Democrats, and for up to eight members of the state executive. I would like to encourage any members who feel they have the skills to help manage and direct the WA division to put themselves forward.

Note to Northern Territory members: you are eligible to nominate for these positions, since the NT is currently a branch of the WA Division. Even if no-one from the NT is elected to the executive, the branch may nominate one representative to be a non-voting member, as per the WA constitution.

You must be a full financial member to be nominated for either position.  If you nominate for president, you must also pass a candidate assessment committee. Nominations must be submitted by Friday 4th May 2012.

The Australian federal government recently established a strategic review of health and medical research in Australia, chaired by 2011 Australian of the Year Simon McKeon. The review accepted written submissions and will also be holding public consultations in all capital cities. The Australian Democrats made a written submission to this review, written by National Policy Coordinator for Science and Technology, Mr. Jason Heeris, incorporating feedback from recent forums on science in Australia. You can read our submission below, or download the original PDF.

This submission is the result of consultation with a number of scientific personnel and members of the public — primarily through a series of public forums on science and research in Australia held by the Australian Democrats, and also via correspondence and personal communication. This includes scientists in academic research and industry, administrators of philanthropic organisations, policy makers at a state and federal level, and patients and families of those who have been the beneficiaries of medical research outcomes.

I believe that the Australian government must recognise the importance of having an internationally competitive health and medical research sector, first and foremost because international competitiveness is arguably the most sensible gauge as to whether we are able to meet our own future needs in public health and medical care. These future needs arise from the long-term needs to have an internationally competitive workforce and attractive lifestyle, and these factors in turn depend upon the level of healthcare to which Australians have access.

It is the case that a country tends to have better access to the outcomes of domestic medical research than of foreign research — better in terms of cost, available expertise, deployment, or even just awareness. Therefore, if we wish to have a workforce and lifestyle comparable to that of other countries in the future, we must have a medical research sector that operates at a level comparable to that of other countries now.

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The Democrats have always stood up for the need for an independent broadcaster. Members and supporters might be interested in this forum to discuss matters of concern and interest in relation to the ABC, including ABC Perth’s role and contribution as part of the national broadcaster.

FABCWA invites you to a forum

When: Saturday March 31st at 2pm
Where: Mt Lawley Neighbourhood Learning Centre, 715 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley (opp. Perth College)

Guest speakers:

• David de Vos, respected long time senior television producer at ABC Perth
• Friends of the ABC WA Pixie Angel award winner, Amanda Zampogna

Topics to be discussed include the ABC’s policy to outsource most television production, and the consequences for ABC Perth, and the role of Friends of the ABC nationally and in WA.

Social media manager Luke Skinner will also talk about how we can use social media to raise the profile and membership of Friends of the ABC WA, to be a stronger voice.

Come along and bring your friends!

Light refreshments provided. Entry by gold coin donation.

We need volunteers and donations for the 2012 Dowerin Field Days!

Last August the WA Democrats attended the Dowerin Field Days and it was a huge success. We gave out hundreds of showbags and bundles of mental health material, had announcements broadcast thousands of people, and spoke to people about a huge range of issues.

We’d like to improve upon that and go again this year, but we need your help!

First and foremost, we need volunteers! The fields days run on 28-29th August, and setup and travel add a day before and after. If you are available to help on any combination of these days, please let us know as soon as possible.

Secondly, we need money! Public liability insurance, booking a plot, hiring a marquee, printing material… it all adds up, and if you can donate even a few dollars we would appreciate it.

Why should you donate or volunteer? Why is this important to us? Well…

The last Dowerin Field Days saw more than 16000 visitors. We gave away more than 200 showbags (which meant more than 200 people walking around Dowerin Field with our logo on display) and had our PA announcement played three times a day. The water and mental health material we were handing out made the word spread even more — people were seeking out our stall by the end of each day. We spoke to a great many people about politics, life in rural WA and country towns, and any number of other topics.

Perhaps more importantly, the only other parties to set up stalls were the Liberals, the Nationals and the Christian Democratic Party. If you think that the electorate of Durack deserves to have a broader spectrum of politics, we need to be there!

So if you are able to help out in any way, or have any questions about the Dowerin Field Days, please get in touch with us.