The Guardian 3 August, 2005
2005 Sydney District Conference
The upstairs meeting hall in the Party office was filled to capacity on the weekend of June 23-24 for the Sydney District Conference. This year’s conference precedes the 10th Congress of the Communist Party to be held in October.
Operating on a very tight schedule over two days the conference was given the task of selecting a new District Committee for the coming two years, choosing the Sydney delegates for the upcoming Congress and considering amendments to the new Political Resolution and redrafted Party Program to be presented at the Congress.
All Sydney branches had submitted amendments to the document, which a District sub-committee then went through. The sub-committee made its recommendations which then went before the Conference, on numerous occasions provoking a vigorous but disciplined debate.
Calls were put forward for a re-invigorated District Committee to take on the harsh challenges facing the Party over the next two years of Coalition control over both Houses of Parliament.
A new District Committee of 10 was elected, up from the previous number of eight, to reflect the growth in the Sydney District over the last two years. The new District Committee contains union officials and delegates, workers from the maritime industry, education, health and the arts, and students.
At the end of the conference a special vote of thanks was given to Janice Hamilton, Secretary of the Illawarra Branch, for her assistance in conference preparations and for acting as Returning Officer during conference ballots.
Delegates expressed surprise at the amount of work achieved at the conference, and were pleased that the "biscuits with cream centres this time!" request had been heeded.