Being a member of a political party comes with expectations to support the party at critical times, as well as opportunities and special rights to be involved in party matters.
Expectations of Fusion party members
Party members are expected to act in accordance with the association's Constitution and Code of Conduct.
There are some other expectations of members at specific times:
1. Be contactable for membership audits
Where a party is registered at federal, state or local government level, it must periodically prove that it has a certain number of members. The electoral commission will confirm membership by email, phone, or letter. As a member, you will be given notice and instructions to participate in these member checks.
2. Attend General Meetings
As a voting member of the association you can attend and vote at General Meetings pertaining to how the association is run. We ask that members participate in this process as much as possible to ensure fair and democratic internal operations. There is one Annual General Meeting in the second half of every year, and there may be one or more Special General Meetings as needed.
3. Election volunteering
Volunteering around elections is one of the most critical aspects of party operations. We encourage our members to participate as much as possible at key times by phoning supporters, dropping flyers in letterboxes, and putting up party signage – and probably most importantly, handing out how-to-vote cards on polling day.
Opportunities and Rights
1. Voting and standing for executive positions
The party's Executive Committee is voted in by the members at Annual General Meetings (see point 2 above). Any member can put themselves forward to be part of defining the strategic direction of the association.
2. Participation in Working Groups
Beyond the Executive Committee, the party has a number of other committees and working groups that cover a range of activities from policy development, member and volunteer engagement, communications, design, and campaigning. These groups set much of their own work within a broad directive.
3. Nominate as an electoral candidate
As a member you get an opportunity to use the party as a platform to run as candidate. Fusion aims to contest elections at local council, state and federal levels. We have a process for reviewing and accepting candidates, and all candidates are supported.