News
Update
on NAA Adelaide office closure
On Friday 29 January, Graham Jaunay was interviewed by Mike Sexton
for a segment on the closure by the ABC's 7:30 Report program. When
this program will be aired is not yet known.
In the meantime we have received the most responses ever to a newsletter
article. The messages we are receiving tell us that the closure decision
is not widely known, that readers are concerned and want to know what
they can do about the matter.
Clearly from the responses received at the Community Cabinet in Adelaide
on 20 Jan, the political leaders think the closure of the NAA Adelaide
Office is a done deal. In spite of the Prime Minister's stance in
the 2001 campaign when he was an Opposition backbencher, he has voiced
no concerns this time. In fact his office supports the closure.
The time has come to look to your local Federal MP. With an election
in the wind before the proposed closure in 2011, that person may be
keen to retain their seat!
There are several ways to interact with your local member—some
more effective than others.
• Write a personal letter outlining
your concerns.
• Organise a deputation to air
your concerns.
• Prepare your own petition at
the local level. Use this template.
On the national level, the politicians can comfortably ignore petitions
with less than 100,000 names (the petition circulated widely on this
matter attracted less than 7000 signatures) but can the local member
afford to ignore a couple of hundred? What was their winning margin
last election? If you live in a marginal seat make your target a petition
that exceeds the winning margin at the last election!
A number of groups have been very quiet on the issue:
1. We have not heard one word from a
South Australian Senator.
2. The state politicians have been quiet
too—it’s a state issue.
3. No campaigns of note by SA-based
family or local history
societies
have been brought to Adelaide Proformat's notice
with
the exception of the Clan MacLeod Society who
gathered
up 470 signatures for the petition.
It would seem that a number of people and organisations are still
unaware of the closure. Speak to the person at your local library
responsible for the family and local history collection. Try and get
them involved in some of the above actions. Make sure that the membership
of your local family history group is aware too and encourage them
to take action.
Speak to your local/regional newspaper, radio and television station
about a news item. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper.
Feel free to use the material previously published in Proformat
News 48 to assist your efforts in the campaign.
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In
this issue:
News
Update - Adelaide office closure
Feature article
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