Melbourne have been asked to consider allowing former board candidate Peter Lawrence to reach members via email as he attempts to put forward an alternative proposal to the club as they put changes in their constitution to a vote at a special general meeting scheduled for next Wednesday.
Justice Peter Riordan adjourned the case until Friday after Lawrence took Melbourne to the Supreme Court in an effort to access club members’ emails, in addition to their names and residential addresses which had already been made available.
The Demons argued their only obligation under the Corporations Act was to hand over names and home addresses, however Lawrence argued that because the register included email addresses that the club used to communicate with members, he should be able to offer them an alternative option via email too, also arguing that not all members had supplied their residential address.
Melbourne’s AFLW team will be recognised in a new constitution, but the extent of that recognition will be decided at next week’s special general meeting.Credit:AFL Photos
In adjourning the matter, Justice Riordan told the club’s legal representative they should consider whether “the path of least resistance” might be to give Lawrence the emails or agree to a compromise where the material he wished to send to members could be sent by the club. He said they could also agree to be “a test case” on the matter.
Melbourne had earlier in the day sent a letter to members saying they would contest the matter, telling members “we will not provide your personal information to the relevant member unless required to do so by law”.
A similar issue arose last year during Collingwood’s board fight, with members becoming more emboldened in expressing their rights when it comes to the makeup of club boards.
In this particular instance, Melbourne created a constitutional reform working group to review the club’s constitution as part of a shift to allow electronic voting for director elections, with more than 75 per cent of voters needed to approve the change for them to be implemented.
The changes include changing chairman and vice chairman to president and vice president; recognition of the club’s AFLW team; and board limits of nine years (three terms of three years) unless elected president in their second or third term as director, which could see them on the board for 15 years.
They want to remove references to gaming, changing guidelines relating to suspensions of members, and lift the number of members who must nominate another member to be a candidate for a director position from two to 20.
Lawrence is part of the Deemocracy group that wants members to oppose the limited changes Melbourne are proposing and instead introduce a revised constitution.
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