A council update for members and guests.
3 October 2024
Have you noticed whenever you start attacking your “To-Do” list, the list somehow seems to grow?
Well, your AFMW Council had a few simple “To-Do’s” to do tonight. And it grew. We were to review the list of candidates for the empty AFMW presidency position and we were to review a new proposed code of conduct document.
Here is what it grew to:
- We have two Presidential candidates, who are great candidates. They have promised that whoever succeeds this position at our next council meeting – 17th October 2024, the other will fully support and help the new President. To me this feels like a two-for-one sale.
- Since we had TWO candidates, we started to quickly think about acceptable work for both of them.
- We realised that our focus was filling the Presidency position, we did not seek nominations for the AFMW National Coordinator position. This position is important, it is the AFMW person who interfaces and represents AFMW with MWIA, the international body. We are thankful that Gabrielle Casper, who has huge experience in the international medical women forum, spontaneously put her hand up tonight to be nominated for this position when she saw that we were without a candidate.
- The proposed code of conduct document, which is a short practical instruction booklet on how our AFMW meetings ought to be conducted, was noted to not really be a Code of Conduct document. Rather it was a meeting-conduct subsection of a BIG Code of Conduct concept. We are fortunate to have recently acquired councillors with considerable expertise in board and governance who have been nabbed to be part of a new Code of Conduct working group. This new Working Group are aiming to have a Code of Conduct statement to propose to you at our AGM of 18-19 January 2025. Please calendar this event as a go-to event either in person or by zoom.
- It was pointed out that whatever work we do on this Code of Conduct, it ought to be shared, to the constituents of the AFMW and will form part of the welcome package to new councillors. More work.
- Our To do List is now getting huge, because it was proposed this new Code of Conduct effort would be under the umbrella of our Governance Committee. However our governance committee has already been putting their minds and effort in to EVEN BIGGER Constitutional changes. We are a Federated organisation. This means AFMW does not have a mind of their own by themselves, we make up our minds based on our representatives (State representative, craft groups, regional reps, specialty representatives) Whew. We consider that we need a Constitutional change based on our wish to fully represent all Australian Medical women and you do not have a representative here at AFMW if you are from a large part of Australia who don’t have a State organisation. So the Governance committee is bouncing ideas of different ways of getting your needs to the table, different constitutional framework to represent your ideas and thoughts. The Governance committee thought they could not add crafting the Code of Conduct work to their current work on the Constitution.
- Finally to get all this work done we have to keep meeting. Rounding us up for meetings is like rounding up cats. Many special Council meetings coming up. Many Executive Council meetings coming up. And now the smaller working groups beavering away at their various projects. You are welcome if you have a passion for one of these areas to put your hand up. Our next Special Council meeting is the 17th October, a Thursday, we will decide the next AFMW president.
Do you notice something? Busy doctors, with so much on our plates, are trying to contribute to this council. We have other things we can and want to do, but like the sisters, mothers, aunties, grannies, and daughters that we are, we are contributing for reasons of family.
We are doing this for us and you. And we not only doing it for free, we actually pay our own way to meetings. If you can not deeply commit to us, hope you can send a prayer of good wishes to us and zoom into our General meetings.
Dr Sandra Hirowatari
The Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) is a not for profit, politically neutral, non sectarian, non government organisation that seeks to improve the health of all Australians, especially the health of women and children.
Events and Updates coordination by AFMW, on behalf of the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW), its affiliated Australian state and territory partners and international networks and supporters. If you have an update or event you would like to share with us for Australian medical women, please contact us with details. Thank you.
