The ALS election for 2024 has now concluded.
Chairperson
Keith Morgan has been appointed as ALS Chairperson. Patricia Laurie has been appointed as Deputy Chairperson.
Directors
The following directors have been elected to serve on the ALS Board from July 2024 to June 2027:
Central South Eastern Region |
Northern Region |
Western Region |
Cindy Fuller |
Janelle Clarke |
Robert Carroll |
Antionette House |
Patricia Laurie |
Raymond Keed |
Keith Morgan |
Paul Morris |
Hewitt Whyman |
Tamika Murphy |
Terrence Robinson |
Lorraine Wright |
Members
The following ALS Company members were elected at community elections on 25 May 2024:
Central South Eastern Region |
Northern Region |
Western Region |
Cindy Fuller |
Jason Allan |
Robert Carroll |
Antionette House |
Errol Clarke |
Keisha Keed |
Stuart Larkins |
Janelle Clarke |
Ray Keed |
Keith Morgan |
Glen Crump |
Valda Keed |
Kiarra Morgan |
Patricia Laurie |
Maxine Kirby |
Shania Morgan |
Charles Lynch |
Fiona Mackay |
Mark Munnich |
Paul Morris |
Elaine Ohlsen |
Tamika Murphy |
Julie Perkins |
Dorothy Whyman |
Sherrin Murphy |
Terrence Robinson |
Hewitt Whyman |
Nicholas Riley |
Ramona Walker |
Lorraine Wright |
Click on the Q&As below for further information about the election process and ALS governance or visit our webpages for governance and directors.
Questions & answers
How does ALS governance work?
The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Ltd is a public company limited by guarantee. As an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation, we are guided by an Aboriginal board and owned by our members, who are elected every 3 years.
We have a total of up to 30 members. This includes up to 10 people elected in each region: Northern, Western, and Central South Eastern. (These regions are set out by the ALS Constitution; you can view a map here.)
Once the members are elected in each region, they get to appoint up to 4 regional directors to the ALS Board. The Board has a maximum of 12 regional directors on the Board (4 from each region) plus it may appoint up to 2 honorary directors.
What do members do?
Members have a key role in the governance of the organisation. Under the ALS Constitution, the role of a 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
As a member, your rights include:
- receiving notice of upcoming members’ meetings
- having a right to one vote at a meeting of members
- appointing a proxy to vote on your behalf at meetings of members
- receiving a copy of the annual report
Who is eligible to become a member?
Please note that applications for ALS membership have now closed. All applicants were required to register for an application pack before 28 March and return the completed pack to the ALS within a fortnight of receipt.
To become an ALS member, you must be:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- An adult (18+)
- Living in the region in which you are applying (Northern, Western, or Central South Eastern) for at least 1 year before you apply, and continue to live there throughout your membership term
You must not be:
- Employed by the ALS, either now or within the last 3 years
- In the past 5 years:
- Convicted of an indictable offence that was dealt with on indictment
- Declared bankrupt under the Bankruptcy Act 1996 (Cth)
- Convicted of an offence of dishonesty, including fraud
- Convicted of any other offence which has resulted in a term of imprisonment for a period of 6 months or more.
How can I become an ALS director?
To become a director, you must first become a member (please note that the application period for membership in 2024 has now closed).
Following the election, and once the eligibility of the interim candidates for each region has been confirmed by the board, the members-elect will select directors from among themselves. There can be up to four directors from each region.
Members and directors will take office from 1 July 2024.
What do directors do?
The responsibilities of the ALS Board and its directors include:
- the overall governance and strategic direction of the ALS
- the management of the Company, through the CEO
- overseeing ALS policies and procedures
- reporting to members
- overseeing the performance of the CEO
When and where was the member election?
The ALS member election took place on Saturday 25 May 2024 at:
- Central South Eastern Region: Queanbeyan Showground, Glebe Avenue, Queanbeyan
- Northern Region: Tamworth Community Centre, 3A Darling St, Tamworth
- Western Region: Bushmans Motor Inn, 9-13 Peak Hill Rd, Parkes
Polling booths were open from 10am to 1pm.
Who were the candidates in my region?
Please select your region below to view the candidates:
Who could vote in the member election?
Aboriginal adults living in NSW and the ACT are eligible to vote in ALS member elections. You may only vote once, and only in the region where you ordinarily live (please see below for a map of ALS regions).
Those wishing to vote were directed to do so in person and bring photo IDto show that you they over 18 and live within the region they are voting in.
Which ALS region am I in?
We have 3 regions: Northern, Western, and Central South Eastern. View our map to see which region you're located in.
How were the applicants for membership selected?
The ALS conducted an application process by advertisement (on this website, on social media, through our offices, and in newspapers) whereby eligible individuals were invited to register their interest by the due date. From there, each individual was given a fortnight from the date they received their application pack to return the completed pack.
All people who submitted correctly completed application packs by the deadline were candidates for the election in their region.
What was the voting process?
Those wishing to vote for members were asked to sign an attendance register when they arrived. Only those attending in person were eligible to vote - it was not possible to vote by proxy, post, telephone or email, or in any other form.
When voting commenced, registered attendees were provided with a ballot paper to vote. Ballot papers for each region contained the names of all the applicants for that region, in alphabetical order.
Voters could select up to 10 members out of the applicants, numbering or marking your choices from 1 to 10 in any order (by placing a number, X, tick, circle or other mark in the box next to the applicant’s name).
They had the option to select less than 10 candidates if they wished to (i.e. just select 1 name), but they could not select any more than 10. If more than 10 candidates were elected on a ballot paper, that vote would be invalid.
Completed ballot papers were placed in the designated ballot box.
ALS staff members attended the elections to assist in the meeting and the voting process. Nominated senior staff members oversaw the counting process.
When will the elected members be confirmed?
After votes are counted, the ALS Board will assess and confirm eligibility of interim candidates in accordance with the criteria set out above. We will officially announce the elected members in June after they are confirmed by the Board.
This webpage will be updated with the names of confirmed members. Members will take office for 3 years from 1 July 2024.
Other questions?
For further information, please email [email protected] or call (02) 9213 4100 and press 3.