SOCIAL media enthusiast and Secretary of the ACT ALP Elias Hallaj has spoken to his beloved Canberra Times about his next career move after he resigns his party position on September 30.
His next move is to a position as a project officer with Australian Labor International.
Matt Byrne, currently a staffer for Yvette Berry will act in the role until the party makes a permanent appointment, which Matt has indicated he will stand for.
Elias’ letter of resignation reads:
Dear Louise,
It is with great regret that I hereby tender my resignation as ACT Branch Secretary effective 30 September 2014, five years since my appointment as Secretary by the National Executive in 2009.
Last Friday I received a letter of offer regarding another position as Senior Project Officer, Australian Labor International, at the ALP National Secretariat. After consulting my family and our Chief Minister I have accepted the offer and indicated my availability to start full-time work in October.
Looking back over the past five years I have nothing but praise for our local representatives as well as our honorary office-bearers like yourself, your predecessors, as well as our many Administrative Committee members over that time. In fact every volunteer in every committee and sub-branch as well as in our affiliated unions deserves praise and credit for the ACT Branch’s many successes over our short but proud history.
I am sure you will agree with me as the current ACT Branch President that we have been blessed as a Branch for many decades with hard-working representatives as well as intelligent and outspoken members that have consistently maintained their faith and energy in pursuing our Party’s core values and aspirations.
As I write this letter I can reflect with some pride about our team’s achievements over the past five years in particular. Our campaign successes are interspersed with tangible improvements in our administration and democratic processes. We regularly lead our party nationally in policy reform as well as campaign-capacity-building and ACT Labor Branch members are held in high regard at a national level.
As I leave this post I am confident it is in very safe hands. Our office staff and systems are amongst the best in Australia and our Administrative Committee and party leadership is functioning well at all levels. I believe our Assistant Secretary Matt Byrne will be a very capable replacement for me and am confident there is no aspect to my current responsibilities which he cannot undertake professionally and reliably. His youth, enthusiasm and recent grass-roots experiences in party reform and campaigning will bring new energy and innovation to the job and I have no hesitation in handing him my office on an ‘acting’ basis until the point in time at which our Administrative Committee decides on the process to elect a permanent replacement.
On a personal level I would like to thank you for your support and encouragement over the past five years. I am only moving up the road and across a small bridge, so will be more than happy to continue to constructively participate on the periphery of the Branch in whatever way is possible.
Regards,
Elias Hallaj
[Photo via facebook]
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