I’ve heard that some NANA members are unhappy with aspects of NANA’s operation including the make up of the Board. There is talk of a special general meeting if concerns are not addressed. I am told concerns are around issues of finances, Board positions and communication.
By blogging about this I’m giving any newsagent an opportunity to comment.
Associations have an obligation to be open with members. Too often newsagents around Australia have been let down by secretive sub-standard representation.
Members of association boards need to put their members ahead of themselves.
This is all a moot point really. Newsagent representation in Australia is a farce. Fragmented, state-based representation will never work in the 21st century where big business just gets bigger and more powerful and no-one has any faith in the ‘official’ national representative body who continue to be driven (and bound) by third-party commercial deals in order to remain solvent. The answer is clear and simple … and has been for YEARS. Start again with one, credible, independent NATIONAL organisation. VANA, NANA and QNF should sell their assets and divide profits to the members based on length of membership. The best staff could be employed by the new national body. At the end of the day, that’s what all this is about … people (management and directors of all organisations) wanting to save their jobs and their perks. Newsagents will not have robust and genuine representation with suppliers and government bodies until there is a radical change.
Yes- State associations as we know them now are becoming insignificant. They are doubling up on what should be the work of a national body. The times ahead for Newsagents will be difficult and we need pro active stealth leadership nationally to represent the industry as a whole.
State associations by en large right now are self righteous entities whose representation is by dictatorial people who do not deliver and who cannot grasp the need for national change.
the stae assoc are all we have, there in no national association that represents newsagents. there is a very small number that still remain with the ANF, but too few to give the ANF any national voice.
the QNF is a very proactive state assoc that works hard on representing QLD newsagents
I truely believe that the only way you will see a joint approach is for someone to plan for only one term. Go in break all the past sins and then begin a plan for reconstruction. They need to be thick skinned and be prepared to be hated. Only then will we see true change and stability.
I received a letter from Craig Emerson yesterday thanking me for an email I had sent to him about the “migration” of customers to the Advertiser and asking him if this was “unconscionable conduct”.
Unfortunately (as I expected) he didn’t answer the question posed but he did say that he was meeting with the ANF on the 14th January (he obviously doesn’t know that they only represent a miniscule no. of agents in Oz.
I certainly hope that we hear from the ANF in the very near future as to the outcome of those talks.
Mr Emerson says “there will be an opportunity to discuss the structural issues that have arisen during the course of the negotiations” so I eagerly await the outcome of those talks and the transparency of response by the ANF.