Nova Peris, ARM Co-Chair with Craig Foster since March 2023, announces her resignation after conflicting opinions and deeply held opposing views on the Israel-Gaza dispute became public. The next day, Craig Foster also announced his resignation so Deputy Chair, Meredith Doig, took over until the National Council elections were called in June. WfaAR understands the decision on the timing of the NC elections usually held in November had already been taken so as not to clash with the royal visit later in the year.
We were somewhat surprised that ARM fractured over an non-Republic issue and counselled the advisability of ‘sticking to the knitting’ – one cause only to be espoused in public by senior office holders as WfaAR does. We confine public commentary to the Republic, especially on social media, however much we would like to engage on other issues. ARM’s dilemmas were hot news for a few days with competing interviews eg on Sky News where Foster is a commentator in the evenings while an Op Ed in The Australian, written by Peris, hung out some of the dirty linen. But the organisation pressed on and successfully completed voting by early July with two new co-chairs elected.
Footnote: WfaAR was/is publicly and privately critical of ARM for its failure to endorse a YES vote for the Voice referendum last year despite having an Indigenous Advisory Council and an effort on The Voice headed by Co-Chair Peris, herself Indigenous. WfaAR was the only active republic campaigning group to publicly support a YES vote for the 2023 Referendum (see News of 12 September 2023).
