The AIPP has announced its new National Board: Louise Bagger, Melissa Neumann, Steve Wise, Craig Wetjen, David Simmons and Melinda Comerford.
Of these, Louise Bagger and Melinda Comerford were re-elected from the former Board. New candidates Sara McKenna and Malcolm Mathieson stood for election but were unsuccessful.
Update 13/4/2018: Suprise! John Swainston has been co-opted as a board member, and will return to the AIPP fold.
A significant group of disenchanted members have demanded a restructure of the Institute, which has already resulted in the closure of the National Office.
A large number of members made their point by allowing their monthly membership payment to lapse, resulting in a potential revenue crisis.
Upon the announcement of the former board resigning and the closure of the office, scores of photographers renewed their membership while many others are likely waiting to see what happens.
However, there’s no question that the AIPP has lost many formerly active members in the turmoil that has taken place this year. The new board will need to decide whether to make efforts to win back the confidence of these people.
Election trouble
The election was open exclusively to fully accredited, paid up members. Only 467 of 1451 of eligible members voted – roughly 32 percent. The remaining members, roughly another 1450, were not eligible to vote because they either had not paid their fees, or were a different tier member such as emerging or student.
However, comments from several people in the AIPP Facebook Community Page indicate there were problems with communication and the AIPP election process. There was short notice for the election, and voting was only open for a few days.
Some members found the voting process confusing, with browsers or devices unable to load the page or lodge votes – while others worked.
Others reported they didn’t receive any e-mail communication regarding the election, despite having up-to-date contact details.
The caretaker Board, which oversaw the AIPP during the election, worked hard to run things smoothly and maintain communication. However, it appears there are issues with the AIPP email database, and it’s possible the voter turnout was affected by these issues.
Senior AIPP member, William Long, audited the results of the board election, after he asked if there were any issues relating to the problems expressed by other members.
The new Board will need to elect a president and treasurer, and its possible other directors will be invited ‘on board’. John Swainston and Paul Atkins were co-opted members on the previous Board.
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