Do I have to resign my membership of the Liberal Party before joining the Democrats?
Yes. It is a requirement under the party’s constitution that members are not a member of another political party.
What are the membership fees?
Current membership fees are $25 for full members, $10 for concession. You can join online here.
Is there a branch in my area?
As part of the rebuilding process we have been working on a different structure for member engagement, which moves away from the traditional idea of a branch structure that you would be used to.
Any member of the Australian Democrats can start their own social club within the party which can be either geographic or interest based. Electoral activities are conducted by Teams, which are geographically based.
Some states do still operate branches and you will be notified if there is a branch in your area. However, branches, clubs and teams do not have a particular voting right attached to them: each member of the party has one vote on matters that go to ballot. On pre-selections, each member of the party who resides within the electorate has a vote, regardless of whether they attend local meetings or not.
Do you have a young democrats organisation?
Yes. YADS (Young Australian Democrats) is available for any members under the age of 30. This part of our organisation has its own executive and is also in a rebuilding phase.
I’ve worked hard to work my way up in the Liberal Party. Will I have to start from the bottom again?
No. As we are in a rebuilding phase, any member willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in to the enormous task of getting this party back on track and back in to parliament will be welcomed in to the team. There is much less hierarchy in the Australian Democrats and we welcome ordinary member involvement at all levels.
I was considering running as a candidate. Can I be considered for pre-selection as a new member?
Yes. Any member of the party committed to our beliefs and Key Objectives who is eligible to stand under the relevant legislation is welcome to nominate themselves to be a candidate.
Will you accept elected members?
Yes. The National Constitution has specific provisions for allowing members of parliament to join the party and receive special endorsement as an Australian Democrats candidate/member. Those discussions are held by the National Executive in camera. Any elected member seeking a confidential discussion about moving to the Australian Democrats should contact National President Julia Melland on 0431 357 585.
I’m not a conservative, but I still have faith. Are the Democrats anti-religion?
No. We do have a fairly significant atheist or secular humanist base, but we also have a significant contingent of progressive Christians and other peace loving faiths such as Buddhists. We also have a club for Australian Democrats of Faith.
What are you doing to rebuild the party?
The reconstruction project is an extensive review and restructuring of all of our internal processes and policies as well as a concerted effort to rebuild the membership base and run effective campaigns with high quality candidates. We are 7 months in to the process that will take some time to complete, but so far progress has been encouraging and we are confident we will succeed in returning the party to parliament and towards Key Objective 23: winning Government.
Where should I go for more information?
Read the About section of our website for more information about the party (links are in the left column), including expanded explanations of the core beliefs and the Key Objectives that are in our constitution.
If you would like to talk to someone near you about the party, please navigate to your state using the links in the bottom of the page and contact your State Division.
Alternatively you can email the rebuild team at rebuild@australiandemocrats.org.au
