Synod Membership under Part 8

24. Mrs Beverley Earnshaw asked -

1. Could you please tell us what are the criteria for choosing members to join Synod under Part 8?
2. Could we be given an abstract of who these members are (not their names)?

To which the President replied -

I am advised that the answers are as follows -

1. Under the provisions of the Synod Membership Ordinance 1995, the Standing Committee elects a number of nominated lay persons under Part 8 of the Ordinance. That number is equal to the number of ministers whom I nominate under Part 7 and is determined as being no more than 10% of the total number of parochial ministers as at 1 January.
   
   It is also noted that CEOs of nominated organisations are called to Synod under Part 6, and the Chancellor, the Registrar and the Warden of St Paul’s College and two lay persons are called to Synod under Part 9.
   
   The Ordinance specifies that people qualified to be elected must be 18 years or older and communicant members of the Anglican Church of Australia. The Standing Committee, in electing the nominated laypersons, seeks to nominate people who they believe will be able to make a significant contribution to the life of the Synod and to bring a range of experience and ability to the role.
2. Currently there are 24 persons elected, with a fairly even spread though the regions of the diocese, and comprising 17 male and 7 female. The names will be published in the 2006 Year Book.