New Members Kit
This new members kit can be copied and reproduced to suit the needs of any Youth Wing in the APDY. Naturally, each Youth Wing will have to amend the contents slightly, for example substituting the name of their organisation wherever a reference is made to "the Youth Wing". It is also a good idea to include photos of your members enjoying themselves, as well as adding some profiles on the careers of party leaders (like Ministers, Presidents and Prime Ministers) who began their careers in your Youth Wing.
The Role of the Party Youth Wing
Hundreds of members from our Party's Youth Wing have gone on to become Parliamentary candidates and key Party organisers. The Youth Wing Branches are an important starting point to political careers or influence in Party circles. Active membership involves several aspects:
POLICY INPUTS through the State and Federal Conventions of the Party. With motions deriving from our Youth Wing going up to our Party's National Convention, we are able to express our opinions on any matter to our national politicians.
REPRESENTATION for the Youth Wing in decision-making bodies of the Party. The Youth Wing is strongly represented by its delegates on the party's National Executive and at the National Convention. On all major bodies of the Party the Youth Wing voice is clearly heard.
TRAINING is provided in campaign operations and Party organisation. Leadership training is also strongly emphasised, and the promotion of so many of our members in the political world is the sign of our success.
CANDIDATES for Parliamentary office and higher Party office are often selected from the Youth Wing, where they compete on an equal footing with any Party member for selection. Younger party members often first build experience as a candidate by contesting a seat held by an opponent party, later going on to contest one of our own safe seats.
CAMPAIGNING is a major role of the Youth Wing, and at some time all members have been exposed to this; and their enthusiastic volunteer efforts have always been a factor in the success of Party candidates.
COMMUNICATION of the Party's ideas and policies to the younger section of the electorate is one of the most vital tasks of the Youth Wing, and one in which we have been able to help the Party over many years. We are able to serve as a two-way channel between the Party and the section of the electorate to which we ourselves belong.
RESEARCH for the Parliamentary Party and the Organisation is often undertaken by members of the Youth Wing.
FUND RAISING is an important task for any political party; and our Youth Wing is no exception. We make regular contributions to State and electorate campaign funds.
POLITICAL EDUCATION is provided within the Youth Wing, and extends into a formal interchange of ideas and exposure to challenging points of view.
Branch Office Bearers
Every branch member has a valuable contribution to make, but it is the branch leaders who have the critical task of deciding on a sense of direction and who must provide opportunities for membership involvement. You should consider becoming a branch officebearer if you have the ambition to advance up the ranks of the party, or if you just want to ensure that your local branch provides a worthwhile and fun experience for its members. The following people are elected at the Annual General Meeting of your branch.
Branch President
The key responsibilities of the Branch President include:
* Running interesting and effective branch meetings, ensuring a variety of issues or events in each meeting program and providing order from the Chair. Click here to see sample standing orders.
* Develop an awareness among your branch members of the Party's core policy philosophies, such as promoting individual freedom and responsibility in society.
* Representing the branch in the local media, acting as a spokesperson for the party on campaign or electoral issues. It is important in this role to build relationships with local journalists and community group leaders in your area.
* Overseeing how fellow executive members perform their duties. Understand the various members on the executive, know their strengths and weaknesses. Provide them with advice, feedback, resources and encouragement. If any disagreement arises over direction, then mediate between your colleagues and show leadership.
* Spot members who show future leadership potential, encourage their interest and help train them. Listen to what they want in return for their party membership dues. Design an annual schedule of events that accords with the particular interests, abilities and priorities of your wider branch membserhip.
* Represent the branch at senior Party forums, and Youth Wing Conventions. Stick up for your members' point of view and bring research to back up your arguments for policy positions. Invite younger party members along to eye-opening party events - like Conventions.
* Report back to your branch on party activities which they can attend.
* Delegate some responsibilities out to other executive members, so they feel involved and not excluded. Consult for second opinions before you act rashly on important matters.
Branch Secretary
* Prepare meeting agendas for members and ensure that they are dispatched to members in sufficient time before a meeting.
* Record accurate minutes of what is disccussed and decided at meetings. Ensure that resolution are notified to the higher relevant party bodies (including the national Youth Wing, the senior Party, and local party politicians.
* Deal with important inward correspondence as it arrives, make sure that it is acted on or circulated at branch meetings. Work on outward correspondence with your branch President.
* Ensure that all records are up to date and that any important documents are lodged with the local party headquarters (like contact details for potential recruits, attendance sheets from branch meetings, and so on).
Branch Treasurer
* Maintain financial accounts that are verifiable, up-to-date and signed as official records. Have a working knowledge of any electoral laws which may require disclosure of account details (ask your local Party Secretariat if this applies to your branch).
* Always have full financial records available before each branch meeting and report to your branch on the status of the accounts.
* Ensure that the branch undertakes an effective fundraising program.
* Establish a realistic annual budget plan for the branch, then make sure that costs are covered and revenue targets are met. Aim to make a branch donation towards the election campaigns of your local Party candidates.
* Before each Annual General Meeting, or at the end of the financial year, arrange for an annual audit of the branch's financial statements by a non-branch member (for example ask a senior Party official if they can check the accounts).
Branch Social Secretary
* Organise social events and ensure that they run smoothly.
* Act as an "ideas person" and orrganise events which help to recruit members, to raise a sense of esprit d'corp and to increase the branch profile. Facilitate frivolity.
* Design activities specifically for helping new members to feel involved. Make new faces welcome, introduce them to old faces, let them know what is going on. Follow up new member inquiries immediately.
Other Executive Positions
Other branch executive positions can be created at an Annual General Meeting, or during the year as the need arises. Such office-bearers should be elected from the floor at a branch meeting. The executive meets as required by the President, or at the request of a majority of executive members. The executive is responsible for decisions on Branch activity and day-to-day operations. All executive members are accountable to their branch and may be asked questions at meetings.
Extra executive positions could include jobs such as the following:
Vice-President (to share the President's workload when the President is busy).
Membership Officer (specifically responsible for recruitment and chasing membership renewals at the end of each year).
Policy Officer (to prepare policy motions and research papers, to liaise with Party politicians and the wider community on issues of concern).
Election Campaign Co-ordinator (to organise branch campaigning efforts within the local electorate or electorates).
Meeting Procedures
Youth Wing meetings usually run according to fairly relaxed procedures. Generally speaking, there is only a need for foramlity when there is a debate over a contentious issue, or when we are conducting elections for positions.
Agenda; Apologies and Minutes Meetings are chaired by the President and follow an agenda which is circulated before the event. Usually meetings open with apologies, that is, messages of regret from members who would like to be there but who cannot be. Following that, a meeting will often ratify "minutes" from the previous meeting which are circulated ("minutes" are a record of debates and votes from the prior meeting).
Officebearer Reports The President and other office bearers may give reports on their activites since the last meeting. These reports allow all members to keep up-to-date with what is happening, and enables them to ask questions of the people they have elected to positions.
Guest Speakers At some meetings, guest speakers will be invited to address members. Such speakers may include politicians, business leaders, think tank scholars, lobby group representatives, or prominent community leaders. These speakers usually commence their speeches immediately after the reports by officebearers. After the speech, the Chair may invite questions or comments "from the floor" (from members). At the conclusion of questions, someone will move a "vote of thanks" (a small speech) and members will vote in favour by applauding the visitor.
Motions Next will often come motions which were circulated on the agenda. First come any procedural or Constitutional matters, which are dealt with efficiently. Then policy debate is opened up to the meeting. First discussion deals with matters for which notice has been given on the agenda. After that, the Chairman may call for new matters of business for which no notice has been given.
General Business At the conclusion of a meeting, an opportunity is given to raise any general business, such as discussion of ideas or venues for future meetings, concern about statements by people in the media, and so on.
Policy Debates
At any meeting, members can move motions on any matter of public policy. The motions may either express support or opposition to proposals, or contain new proposals.
How to Word Policy Motions
Each motion usually begins with the words "That this branch..." followed by a statement outlining what you want. For example:
"That this branch condemns the Labor Party plans to force compulsory unionism upon municipal workers employed by the local city council and further call for the resignation of the Labor Party Major."
Motions need not be limited to one sentence. A motion proposing a new initiative will often have several parts. For example:
"That this branch Calls for the government to take the following measures.
(a) Eliminate all taxes levied on the interest earned in personal savings accounts.
(b) Eliminate all taxes which affect income that is invested in private pension funds.
(c) Eliminate all taxes on income that is drawn by aged pensioners from their private pension funds."
How to Prepare a Policy Motion
If you have an idea for a policy resolution, but don't know how best to put it into words, call the branch President or Policy Officer who will be able to help you list a motion for the next meeting. Movers of motions are strongly suggested to research their motion. If you are proposing a new initiative, see what policies have been implemented in the same area by centre-right governments in other countries. Such comparative evidence may demonstrate what approaches work and which do not. Also try contacting a free-market think tank for assistance.
Procedures for Policy Debates
Different branches will have their own "standing orders" (debating rules) - click here for an example. Other branches may have no formal standing orders, but may still use some of the common procedures listed below. Such rules help prevent noisy groups from dominating debate, instead ensuring that all members have an equal right to be heard.
1. All motions should be moved and seconded. If this does not occur, the branch standing orders may deem that the motion will lapse.
2. Once seconded, the Chair may inquire if there is any objection to the motion, and if no member objects, the motion will be declared carried. If there is an objection, the mover will commence speaking on the motion.
3. The mover will be allowed a limited time to open and introduce the motion (three to four minutes). Questions may be asked of the mover after they have finished introducing their idea, to allow clarification of any misunderstandings about the proposition..
4. A member will then be allowed to speak against the motion, raising objections, counter-arguments or contesting the evidence presented by the mover.
5. From this point on, a rotation occurs, whereby the seconder speaks in favour, followed by an opposer of the motion, followed by a speaker in favour, followed by a speaker against ...
6. Amendments may be moved, to change the motion in a way that will remove ambiguities, or fix other perceived problems. An amendment may be acceoted by the mover, in which case it becomes part of the motion. If the mover opposes an amendment, then that amendment is voted on before the vote on the whole motion.
7. There will usually be a limit on the time allocated to any one matter. Before voting occurs, the mover usually has a final right of reply which allows them to sum up their arguments and rebut any criticisms of their idea.
Where to Remit Successful Motions
Motions could be communicated to the parliamentary spokesman for the relevant issue. Some motions are best suited for transmission to a Party politician in local government. Other motions on national or cross-state issues could be sent to national politicians, or taken to the National Convention of the Youth Wing, or could be remitted to a senior party meeting. There are numerous examples of policies generated in party Youth Wings which have gone right through the processes of debate to become binding public law.
Clode's "Right Political Dictionary"
When you first attend a party meeting, you will probably notice that the more experienced party members are using a wide range of political terms, which you might not recognize. Like any profession, politics has its own jargon which can confuse uninitiated. Click below to read Clode's glossary of words and terms that are commonly heard in political circles. This guide contains many terms that will assist the political beginner. If you are new to your Party, then always remember that fellow members are always happy to explain the way parliament and politics work in general.
When parties are communicating with their allies from other countries, the diverse terminology can sometimes confound even the most experienced political operatives. The following glossaries will help define terms which may be found in foreign political systems. Where possible, there are details of the country where each word has originated. If you cannot find a particular word or term here, please email your request for a new addition in Clode's Right Political Dictionary.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Part 2 of the New Members Kit - Coming Soon!