Victoria is set to retain its place on the PIAA board after speculation it could miss out following the late withdrawal of Melbourne-based board member Kellie Northwood from the upcoming board elections.
"I can confirm that there were nominations from every jurisdiction and that we will have a full board, provided all the nominations are accepted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)," says PIAA president Kieran May.
With the ballot due to open in just over a week on September 29, eligible voters are still waiting to hear who exactly they may be voting for.
An AEC spokesperson says the list of nominees has been completed and has been delivered to the candidates and the PIAA but the commission has no authority to release the list. May says he has received a list of nominees but the list remains confidential and could change if the AEC finds any irregularities in the eligibility requirements.
Northwood announced shortly before nominations closed last week that she would not be putting her name forward for the ballot. "Kellie obviously thought long and hard about it and that's why it was a late decision," says May. "She talked it over in Melbourne with IPMG, who nominated her for the board, then decided it was best that she step down. Kellie wanted to put up her hand but felt she wouldn't be able to do the job properly because of her other commitments."
With the peak body in danger of having no Victorian representative, May picked up the phone.
"I made a couple of calls into Melbourne over the past couple of days, trying to drum up some interest," said May, speaking last week after the close of nominations. "I spoke to a couple of people who said they'd think about it but they rang back later and said they wouldn't be nominating. But others in Victoria have shown interest. Also, I've spoken to a couple of people in Tasmania and they indicated they were keen to nominate."
There's no indication yet as to when the official list of candidates will be known. The ballot opens on September 29 and runs until October 27.