Secularism Australia Conference 2023

[two dogs]

I've recently received an email from The Rationalist Society of Australia about the Secularism Australia Conference 2023, to be held in Sydney on the 2nd of December.

https://secularism.au/

(I dunno why the OG meta tags on the page aren't being processed by phpBB?)

The AFA doesn't appear in the list of sponsors. For fuck's sake, even if they're "too busy" to be involved in organising it, you'd think they'd be able to provide some financial sponsorship, given that they had $90,602.38 in funds on the 31st of January 2023 (according to the Treasurer's Report for their 2023 AGM).

[Irrev-Black]

(Snip)

For fuck's sake, even if their "too busy" to be involved in organising it, you'd think they'd be able to provide some financial sponsorship, given that they had $90,602.38 in funds on the 31st of 2023 (according to the Treasurer's Report for their 2023 AGM).

The price of Cheetos has gone up.

[Irrev-Black]

(Snip)

For fuck's sake, even if their "too busy" to be involved in organising it, you'd think they'd be able to provide some financial sponsorship, given that they had $90,602.38 in funds on the 31st of 2023 (according to the Treasurer's Report for their 2023 AGM).

The price of Cheetos has gone up.

In all seriousness, it's well beyond time for them to accept the inevitable and wind the AFA up.

[two dogs]

I've recently received an email from The Rationalist Society of Australia about the Secularism Australia Conference 2023, to be held in Sydney on the 2nd of December.

https://secularism.au/

...

The AFA doesn't appear in the list of sponsors. For fuck's sake, even if they're "too busy" to be involved in organising it, you'd think they'd be able to provide some financial sponsorship, given that they had $90,602.38 in funds on the 31st of January 2023 (according to the Treasurer's Report for their 2023 AGM).

I've just received the following email from the AFA. They seem to be claiming that they're sponsors, but they're currently not listed as such, and that's been the case since I first became aware of the conference (see above):



Perhaps it's because of this (since deleted) post I made on their Facebook page last night. It's an alternate account of mine because my main account
was initially banned from commenting, and subsequently banned from even being able to view their Facebook page!:

[Irrev-Black]

@two dogs - Perhaps the AFA is providing crunchy, triangular corn snacks as a sponsorship-in-kind.

[two dogs]

...
I've just received the following email from the AFA. They seem to be claiming that they're sponsors, but they're currently not listed as such, and that's been the case since I first became aware of the conference (see above):
...

I've responded to that email, asking why the AFA isn't listed as a sponsor, but I doubt that I'll get a reply!

[Irrev-Black]

...
I've just received the following email from the AFA. They seem to be claiming that they're sponsors, but they're currently not listed as such, and that's been the case since I first became aware of the conference (see above):
...

I've responded to that email, asking why the AFA isn't listed as a sponsor, but I doubt that I'll get a reply!

It could be anything. Perhaps nobody was able to find and send a usable copy of the Dorito logo graphic in time for publication.

[two dogs]

...
I've just received the following email from the AFA. They seem to be claiming that they're sponsors, but they're currently not listed as such, and that's been the case since I first became aware of the conference (see above):
...

I've responded to that email, asking why the AFA isn't listed as a sponsor, but I doubt that I'll get a reply!

Fuck me, I was wrruuzzrng.



Not long after I posted the above, I received this response:

Hi Julian,

Because the organisers wanted $15,000 for very little in return. It was not worth the investment, so we are not financial sponsors of the event. we are happy to promote it and attend though.

So how in the fuck do they intend to spend the ~$90,000 that they have in their kitty to promote their aims? They're obviously the masters of "very little in return", given the way they treat their fee-paying members!

The AFA is an organisation that I was once proud to be both a rank-and-file, and committee, member of, who, as a bunch of amateurs, were able to pull off a couple of conventions, with costs over $1,000,000 and still make a small profit.

I feel that the time and effort that I previously put into the organisation are debased by its current management!

[two dogs]

My belated response:

Dear Communications Officer,

Thank you for your reply, and I apologise for my belated response.

What did the AFA want/expect as a return on investment as a conference sponsor? Wouldn't the AFA's participation be a way to further its aims?

Surely, $15,000 from the ~$90,000 in the AFA's bank account isn't a big ask, given that the AFA doesn't seem to have been involved in, let alone initiated, any activity in the secular space since the 2021 Census? Does the AFA have other plans to use that money to provide some sorely lacking value to the fee-paying members who fund the AFA?

I recall (as a previous AFA Treasurer) such sums being donated to the AFA for its 2011/2016 'Mark No Religion' census campaigns (when the AFA had the initiative, commitment, and resources to head them alone), by some of the organisations involved in this conference? Frankly, I'm unimpressed that the AFA seems unwilling to reciprocate.

Cheers,
Julian

[two dogs]

...
Not long after I posted the above, I received this response:

Hi Julian,

Because the organisers wanted $15,000 for very little in return. It was not worth the investment, so we are not financial sponsors of the event. we are happy to promote it and attend though.

...

Pissed off by that response, last Thursday, I sent this via the Contact Us page on the Secularism Australia Conference 2023 website, albeit thinking that I probably wouldn't get a reply:

Dear Secularism Australia Conference Committee,

Yesterday afternoon, I received an email from the Atheist Foundation of Australia, which began with:

"We're pleased to be among a number of Australian pro-secular organisations that have joined together to sponsor the staging of a one-day conference that will feature a number of high-profile speakers and secular champions who are pushing for reform.

You're invited to join us for the first Secularism Australia Conference – a one-day event being held in Sydney this December."

When I replied to that email, asking why the AFA wasn't listed as a sponsor on the conference website, the answer I received was:

"Because the organisers wanted $15,000 for very little in return. It was not worth the investment, so we are not financial sponsors of the event. we are happy to promote it and attend though."

I'm unimpressed that in one of the few emails sent by the AFA to its fee-paying members this year, they seem to be claiming that they have some active involvement in your conference!

Cheers,
Julian

A short while ago, I received this belated, but gratifying, response:

Hi Julian,

I hope you're well. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

To clarify, the SAC committee offered several tiers of financial sponsorship to organisations, the lowest starting at $2,500.

Cheers,
Peter Monk (NSL)

Peter Monk is the President of the National Secular Lobby (an actual sponsor of the conference) which doesn't have a paid membership scheme, but does accept contributions.

What a bunch of fuckin' lazy lying arseholes the current AFA Committee of Management is!