This page was last updated 13 December 2021
The ALS is in the process of electing Company Members and Directors for the period 2021-2024.
Following community meetings in the Northern, Western and Central South Eastern Regions, ALS Company Members have been appointed. Directors will be confirmed shortly.
Click on the links below to skip to information relevant to your region:
Central South Eastern Region
A community meeting to vote for Company Members took place on 11 December 2021 in the Central South Eastern Region. Originally scheduled for 26 June 2021, this meeting was postponed due to the COVID outbreak and restrictions.
Following the rescheduled election, the ALS admitted to Company Membership the following people from the Central South Eastern Region:
- Cindy Fuller
- Paul Gray
- Antionette House
- Tony McAvoy
- Keith Morgan
- Shania Morgan
- Paul Morris
- Sherrin Murphy
- Tamika Murphy
- Nicholas Riley
You can view the biographies of the confirmed Company Members along with other applicants from the Central South Eastern Region here.
Thank you to all community members who participated in the election process and had their say in the governance of community-controlled legal services.
Northern Region
A community meeting to vote for Company Members took place on 26 June 2021 in the Northern Region.
Following this, the ALS admitted to Company Membership the following people from the Northern Region:
- Jason Allan
- Avery Brown
- Helen Brown
- Theresa Cox
- Mark Davies
- Robyn Davies
- Andrew Hegedus
- Patricia Laurie
- Susan Leys
- Charles Lynch
You can view the biographies of the confirmed Company Members along with other applicants from the Northern Region here.
Thank you to all community members who participated in the election process and had their say in the governance of community-controlled legal services.
Western Region
A community meeting to vote for Company Members took place on 26 June 2021 in the Western Region.
Following this, the ALS admitted to Company Membership the following people from the Western Region:
- Robert Carroll
- Keshia Keed
- Raymond Keed
- Valda Keed
- Fiona Mackay
- Elaine Ohlsen
- Dorothy Whyman
- Hewitt Whyman
- Lorraine Wright
You can view the biographies of the confirmed Company Members along with other applicants from the Western Region here.
Thank you to all community members who participated in the election process and had their say in the governance of community-controlled legal services.
Frequently asked questions
The applicants
View applicants in the Central South Eastern Region here.
Why vote in the ALS Company Member election
This is a terrific opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW and the ACT to have a say in relation to community-controlled legal services.
Our Company Members will help guide our organisation into the future at an exciting time, as we mark 50+ years since the first Aboriginal Legal Service opened its doors in Australia.
Who is eligible to vote in the ALS Company Member election
Adult Aboriginal people in NSW/ACT are eligible to vote in the Company Member election. However, you may ONLY vote in the Region where you ordinarily live.
If you wish to vote, you will need to do so in person and MUST bring photo ID to evidence that you are over 18 and live within the Region you are voting in.
What will happen at the Company election meeting
The meeting will be opened and the facilitator will provide an outline of the process before eligible community members will be invited to vote. ALS staff members will be there to assist.
Eligible community members will be able to vote for up to a maximum of 10 applicants only. If you vote for more than 10 applicants, your ballot will be invalid. The 10 applicants with the greatest number of votes will be considered in accordance with the terms of the ALS Constitution.
Meeting locations
In line with the ALS Constitution, the ALS causes a meeting to be held within each relevant Region, to which adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons residing in the Region are invited by public notice.
What is an ALS Company Member?
ALS Company Members are elected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from NSW and the ACT who are eligible to be admitted by the Board to ALS Membership for three-year terms.
Under the ALS Constitution, there can be up to 10 Company Members from each of the following Regions:
- Northern Region
- Western Region
- Central South-Eastern Region.
ALS Company Members have a key role in the governance of the ALS. They are required, amongst other things, to:
- comply with the Constitution of the ALS;
- act in a manner that is not prejudicial to the ALS; and
- comply with the policies and procedures of the ALS.
Under the ALS Constitution, an ALS Company Member is to:
- participate in the appointment of Directors; and
- facilitate communication between Aboriginal communities and the ALS, including by facilitating communication between the Traditional Owners of the Region and the organisation.
Who is eligible to become a Company Member
Please note that nominations for Company Membership have now closed.
To be eligible to be accepted for Company Membership you must be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who:
- is over 18 years of age;
- has lived within the region you have nominated to be a member of for a period of 1 year immediately preceding the date of your application for Membership;
- is not a 'Prohibited Person' (as defined in the ALS Constitution and set out below); and
- has not been an ALS employee in the last 3 years.
A person is not eligible to be a Company Member if they are a 'Prohibited Person' as defined in the Constitution. A 'Prohibited Person' is a person that has, within the last 5 years, been:
- convicted of an indictable offence that was dealt with on indictment; or
- declared bankrupt under the Bankruptcy Act 1996(Cth); or
- convicted of an offence of dishonesty, including fraud; or
- convicted of any other offence which has resulted in a term of imprisonment for a period of 6 months or more.
How ALS Directors are chosen
To be considered and selected as a Director on ALS Board, you must first be admitted as a Company Member. Both Company Members and Directors serve for a period of three years.
Once ALS Company Members from each Region are admitted into membership by the Board, the members from that Region appoint 4 of the Members to be Directors of the ALS.
The role of the ALS Board of Directors
The ALS Board of Directors is responsible for:
- the overall governance and strategic direction of the ALS;
- the management of the business of the Company, through the CEO;
- overseeing ALS policies and procedures;
- reporting to Members; and
- overseeing the performance of the CEO.
Election term of Company Members and Directors
As stated above, both ALS Company Members and Directors are elected for a period of three years.
The new term is from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2024.
For more information, see:
https://www.alsnswact.org.au/governance
