Co-Convenor's Report

Secretary's Report

Campaigns Report

Events and Fundraising Report

Treasurer's Report

Auditor's Report

Summary of Achievements

Anti-Violence Project

Gay and Lesbian History Project

Thank you

ANNUAL REPORT 2000-2001

Secretary's Report

This year the Lobby further consolidated its administrative capacity, streamlined its business operations, improved information and resources available to members and increased its visibility.

Administration

The decision last year to employ a part-time Office Manager Tim Moyes has paid dividends. Tim has been critical in:
· ensuring that member enquiries are dealt with in an efficient and personal way;
· dealing with day to day business of the Lobby;
· organising volunteer information and other information resources.
This has allowed the Lobby to more effectively mobilise resources for its campaigns and lobbying. We would also like to thank Anthony Hillis who filled in for Tim for a couple of months this year.

Business Operations

The year marked the beginning of a new life for the AVP, which is no longer under the umbrella of the Lobby. We are pleased that the AVP now has the expanded resources of ACON to assist it in its fight against anti-gay and anti-lesbian violence. What this meant for the Lobby is that it was able to utilise resources, which would otherwise have been dedicated to the AVP to focus more actively on campaigning and lobbying in areas such as parenting and superannuation.

The relocation of our office has assisted us to re-organise and provide an improved facility for Lobby business.

As some of our members may be aware a significant proportion of our funding comes from Harbour Party. The 2002 Harbour Party marks the passing of this event under First Fleet Productions. The end of Harbour Party will be a critical issue for the Lobby to deal with in its next year. We thank First Fleet for their continuing support over a very long period. Frisky parties continue to provide substantial financial assistance for the Lobby's work. Our thanks also go to NightGroove Productions for their continuing commitment.

Information & Resources

The continuing development of our website (www.glrl.org.au) this year has expanded information on rights and entitlements and political information available to our members and our community. Thanks to Jason Cupitt's hard work on redesigning and maintaining the website. The launch of the new and improved site earlier this year has increased the level of readily available information and resources and its user-friendly redesign has made access for our members and the gay & lesbian community easier.

Our continuing thanks goes to Kathy Sant and Jenny Mann for the relentless commitment to producing Lobby Newsletters and new factsheets on emerging political and social issues requiring reform. New factsheets which appear on our website this year include Discrimination in Superannuation, IVF and Parenting.

Visibility

This year the Lobby continued to get serious media coverage, make its voice heard and ensure our community's concerns were raised in the wider political environment. The Lobby's collaboration with Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras on the lead float for Mardi Gras this year

highlighted parenting as a gay & lesbian issue and led to front page coverage of the issue in the Sydney Morning Herald. The Lobby's Federal Election Strategy focussing on superannuation and anti-discrimination has received widespread coverage. Website improvements, enhanced media resources and organisational changes have assisted the Lobby in dealing with the media and allowed it to be more proactive.

We have run a number of member information nights, which have proved popular, and we hope that these generate more interest in getting our community involved in lobbying for law reform. Unfortunately growth rates in membership remain slow and the Lobby will continue to look at ways of promoting community involvement in the lobbying process.

Membership levels remained consistent and through the year we have concentrated on measures to encourage renewals. Our member information nights are one step in encouraging new members. We thank all our members for their support not only through committing their membership fees but in their participation in campaigning through the year and their feedback and encouragement.

Committee meetings were held each month and a strategic planning session held during the early part of the term allowed us to prioritise the issues upon which we proceeded to lobby and to identify our broader political objectives.

Michael Bracken
Secretary