AFSA Annual General Meeting

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance will be holding its Annual General Meeting during the Food Sovereignty Convergence in Canberra on 23 and 24 October 2017.

WHEN: Tuesday 24 October 2017

TIME: 3.00-4.00pm

WHERE: via Skype or join us at Burringiri Culture Centre
245 Lady Denman Dr Canberra Central ACT 2602

The AGM will involve the election of office bearers and general members of the National Committee. Nominations close 17th October. If you are interested in nominating for a position please email a short bio to us expressing your interest at: admin@afsa.org.au.

Please note that nominations for positions to the new National Committee must be endorsed by two members of AFSA. Please contact admin@afsa.org.au if you do not already know two AFSA members to endorse your nomination.

Details of the individuals who have nominated for the new Committee will shortly be made available on the website.

 

Office Bearer Position Descriptions

Role of the President

Charged with providing leadership and direction to the Committee, the President is responsible for ensuring that the Committee fulfils its responsibilities for the governance and success of the organisation. S/he also works to optimise the relationship between the Committee, any paid employees, volunteers and other members, and to achieve the organisation’s agreed goals. The President is generally the spokesperson for the organisation and should work to maintain key relationships within and outside of the organisation.

Role of the Vice President

The Vice President is responsible for assisting the President to fulfil his/her responsibilities for the governance and success of the organisation.  This may mean chairing meetings at short notice. The Vice President typically fills in for the President when s/he is on leave.

Role of the Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for the financial supervision of the organisation to allow the Committee to provide good governance of the organisation. The Treasurer’s tasks include the preparation of annual budgets, planning for the organisation’s financial future and monitoring the organisation’s revenue and expenditure. It is desirable that the treasurer is well organized and possesses a level of financial expertise.

Role of the Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for the documentation and communication of the activities of the Committee.  The secretary is the primary administration officer of the Committee and provides the links between the Committee, members and outside agencies. monitors memberships, and provides membership reports at each meeting of the Committee. S/he also leads membership drives and supports the Committee in developing strategies for growing and maintaining membership, and helps lead membership engagement through social media and a regular newsletter. The Secretary should be a good communicator, maintain confidentiality on relevant matters and have the ability to delegate tasks and supervise others. The Secretary oversees the preparation of agendas and minutes.

Role of the Communications Officer

The Communications Officer develops and implements effective internal and external communications strategies to maintain and build the reputation of AFSA with key publics including allied organisations, media, government and members. She/he supports the team with feedback on a range of communications pieces, and conducts research on relevant issues to assist in the implementation of public affairs activity including lobbying.. A key element of the role is media relations, requiring the monitoring of news media to identify opportunities to attain media coverage (environmental scanning), and the production of media releases, backgrounders and rich content for the website and promotional materials. Fielding inquiries from stakeholders including journalists, politicians, members and general public is an ongoing responsibility. The Communications Officer collaborates with the Multimedia Editor in planning, writing and distributing the electronic newsletter.

Role of the FFFU Chair

The FFFU Chair is the primary point of contact for FFFU members of AFSA. The Chair is also the primary liaison with farmer-led international organisations working for food sovereignty such as La Via Campesina, the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty, and Urgenci: the International Network for Community-Supported Agriculture. S/he leads membership engagement with producers, and communicates regularly with FFFU members via the AFSA website and regular newsletter. From time to time, s/he may survey farmers about their needs and report back to the Committee. On matters where producers’ voices should be paramount, the Chair consults with the FFFU membership to develop positions and reports these to the Committee and to the public.