Website Security Upgrade

The SISEAP website will be undergoing major security maintenance commencing on the 1st of April. This work is scheduled to take approximately 2 weeks and then 1-2 weeks of testing.

Members will be informed when this work is completed.

Impact to Members
The website will still function, and members will still be able to access both the public and the members area.   

Payment of new members
HQ will continue to process payment of new members and outstanding capitation fees. However, any new members and exited members WILL NOT be posted to the membership database. New members will not receive their membership number, password, welcome letter and access to the members area of the website until this work is completed.

What you cannot do:
Members will not be able to update position holders, and or make amendments to the membership personal details area. 
 
What you can do:
Events and Club Pages
Members can still publicise events and update club pages, but you will need to replicate this work on the new website when it becomes available (you will be informed). 

Payments
Membership payments can still be paid via the website. 
 
Donations 
Donations can still be made through the website 
 
Directory
Members will still be able to search the directory for member's information.

Downloads
All downloads will still work, and all links will still operate.
 
Please continue to utilize the website and all of its resources. The AGM, General Meeting and Federation meeting information will be constantly updated with information and links to complete registration forms and download documents for these important meetings. 

Federation General Meeting

AGM & Company General Meeting

Statement of Support for Earthquake Survivors in Myanmar

Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in the wake of the devastating earthquake that has caused immense loss and suffering. Our hearts go out to the survivors, the families who have lost loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic disaster.

In times of crisis, the strength of our communities is more important than ever. We commend the efforts of first responders, humanitarian organizations, and volunteers who are tirelessly working to provide aid and relief.

As an organisation committed to empowering women and communities, we will explore ways to assist those affected, especially women and children who are often the most vulnerable during disasters. We call upon our members and partners to extend their support in any way possible—whether through donations, advocacy, or direct assistance. The SISEAP leadership team is looking into a possible Special Appeal as we are gathering more information.

Together, we can bring hope and relief to those in need. Let us stand united in compassion and action for the people of Myanmar.

The Leadership Team

Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific

AGM & Company General Meeting

Saturday 10 May 2025

3pm AEST

Registrations Close 4 May 5pm AEST

Federation General Meeting

Sunday 18 May 2025

10am AEST

Registrations Close 10 May 5pm AEST

Correction
Please note a correction to the email sent on 28 April by the Company Secretary. The date listed on the Expanded Agenda for the AGM & General Meeting incorrectly read Sunday. The correct date is Saturday 10th May 2025. Apologies for any confusion caused.

Announcement of SISEAP President-Elect 2026-2028

On behalf of President Joanne, we are pleased to confirm that Oyungerel Retsen is the President - Elect for the Biennium 2026 - 2028 but will need to comply with the Australian company laws.

Congratulations, Oyungerel.

Website Upgrade Complete

The website php version has been updated and this has strengthened security protocols, the system has faster loading times and improved functionality, SISEAP data is now safer and more secure. Members are now able to use the website to create events, edit their club pages and personal details.  If it has been awhile since you used the members area of the website and logged in please revisit the site and update your personal contact details.  

Record of Decisions - New Format

Notification to members regarding the new format of the Record of Decisions (ROD) from the SISEAP meetings

The old ROD which was a mix of historical data relating to the SISWP Federation and the ROD's from AGM's and Federation Board Meetings has been archived. This version is stored on the company drive and can be accessed by Federation Position holders. 

A new ROD dated from 2020 to April 2025, is on the website, this version contains records of decisions from the Company AGM and General Meetings, the Federation meetings and the Company Directors meetings.  Members can access this new version from the Downloads section on the website. 

Call for Nominations - SISEAP Directors

Here’s your chance to make a difference and further your professional experience. Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific (SISEAP) is seeking applications from interested and qualified Soroptimists for vacancies for Directors. The successful applicants will take office at the end of the AGM on May 10, 2025 and in the first instance, serve for three years, renewable to a maximum of eight years.

SISEAP has seven Directors and one third must retire each year. According to the Corporations Act, at each annual general meeting, any Director appointed by the Directors to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional Director must retire, and at least one-third of the remaining Directors must retire. Under our Constitution, the Immediate Past President automatically retires after one year in that position and is replaced by the new President Elect. At the end of her biennium, the President remains for one year as Immediate Past President and a Director.

It is a legal requirement you have a Director Identification Number before you can be appointed and we will only consider applicants that have already obtained their Director Identification Number. Refer to the Australian Business Registry website for further information. Here is the link to the site: https://www.abrs.gov.au/director-identification-number

Applications close at 5.00 pm on Friday 28 March 2025.

For further information please contact Company Secretary Theresa Lyford companysecretary@siseap.org

SISEAP President-Elect 2026-2028 Biennium

AGM & Company General Meeting

The Company General Meeting will follow the AGM. There is no cost to attend this meeting.

Draft Agenda for Company Annual General Meeting and Company General Meeting to be circulated to Members (Clubs) on 1 April 2025.

Representation
One authorised representative from each financial member (Club) within the Federation or a proxy representative should attend this meeting. A proxy representative must be an individual Soroptimist from another member club ie a club within SISEAP. Other Club members may also attend all meetings but will be Observers and not be able to speak.

Registration Forms
These will be sent on 1 April 2025.  There will be separate registration forms for Club Representatives and Silent Observers for the Annual General Meeting and Company Meeting.

Distribution of Business Papers
Business papers including the Final Agenda, Resolutions, Items for Discussion and Reports will be circulated to Clubs on 30 April 2025.

Federation General Meeting

The Virtual Federation General Meeting will be held on Sunday 18 May 2025.

Reports
Would all Federation Position Holders and National Presidents ensure that their reports are sent to the Federation Secretary and HQ before 22 March so that they can be sent out on 1 April.
 
Representation
One authorised representative from each financial member (Club) within the Federation or a proxy representative should attend this meeting. A proxy representative must be an individual Soroptimist from another member club i.e. a club within SISEAP. Other Club members may also attend all meetings but will be Observers and not be able to speak.
 
Registration Forms
These will be sent on 1 April 2025.  There will be separate registration forms for Club Representatives and Silent Observers for the Federation General Meeting.
 
Distribution of Business Papers
Business papers including the Agenda, Resolutions, Items for Discussion and Reports will be circulated to Clubs on 1 April 2025.
 
Question Form For the Federation General Meetings
Clubs will be invited to submit questions of the Federation Position Holders and National Presidents for the Federation General Meeting. This form will be distributed with the business papers on 1 April 2025.

SISEAP Honours & Remembrance Form
Please return the completed Honours and Remembrance form to the Federation Secretary by 15 April 2025.

Federation Fees 2025

A reminder that Federation Capitation fees were due on 28 February. For Clubs that have not yet made their payment they are now overdue, please submit your Annual Return forms and payment as soon as possible.

All Clubs who have submitted their Annual Return forms and made payment, thank you for your patience in advance, as there is a large volume and we hope to process them over the coming weeks. Once processed you will receive an invoice receipt along with any new membership numbers if applicable.

2025 Club Position Holders Changeovers

Each year after the Club AGM, the newly elected Club Officers & Position Holders need to be added into our database. It is very important that each Club completes this task by 31 March 2025.

Information regarding the 2025 SISEAP Company AGM and General Meeting being held on 10 May 2025 and the Federation Meeting being held on 18 May 2025.  

Call to clubs to submit any resolutions to the company constitution to Company Secretary Theresa Lyford companysecretary@siseap.org and resolutions for the Federation meeting sent to Federation Secretary Berice federationsecretary@siseap.org

Deadline for submission 15 February 2025.

The Company By-Laws state that Resolutions for the Company AGM and General Meeting require the following:
14.2.1 For general meetings of the company – by the directors or by members (clubs) with at least 5% of the votes

14.4 Any motion which requires a special resolution (e.g. to amend the company constitution, wind up the company and change classes of membership) must be voted on at a hybrid, virtual or physical (face to face) general meeting and shall require the agreement of at least seventy five percent (75%) of all members entitled to vote.

The Federation meeting will consist of general Federation business, Best Practice Awards for Programme and  Membership, and the National President reports.  

The Company By-Laws state that Resolutions for Federation Meetings require the following:
14.2.3 For Federation meetings – moved by one member (club) and seconded by another

All resolutions will need to be written on the  Resolutions form prior to 4pm Sydney time (AEDT) on 15 February 2025 to allow for internal processing and distribution to members (clubs).

Notification:  The 14th Annual SISEAP Company AGM and General Meeting is to be held on 10 May 2025 and

the SISEAP Federation Meeting is to be held on 18 May 2025.  

This information page is for members attending the SISEAP AGM, General Meeting of Federation meeting, either as a  Member (club) representative or silent oberver. 

Information on this page will be updated on a regular basis and will include

• General Information to Members
• Actions to be undertaken
• Links to register for the meetings.
• Links to documentation including Agenda's, Reports and supporting documentation.

Information page for members attending the SISEAP AGM, General Meeting or Federation meeting, either as a Representative (club) , or silent observer

14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) 

To be held on Saturday 10th of May 2025, at 3pm AEST this will be a virtual meeting.  SISEAP Member (club) representatives are invited to attend.   Silent Observers will be able to view proceedings via a live stream.  

Company General Meeting

To be held on Saturday 10th of May 2025, will commence at the conclusion of the AGM,  this will be a virtual meeting.  SISEAP Member (club) representatives are invited to attend.   Silent Observers will be able to view proceedings via a live stream.  

Federation Meeting

To be held on Sunday 18th of May at (time), this will be a virtual meeting.  Soroptimist members and friends are invited to this meeting. 

Nominees for SISEAP Director positions

SISEAP have received 6 nominations for the 6 vacant directors positions.  

Your club representative will be required to vote at the AGM for directors to SISEAP.   Please read the AGM Agenda for further information. 

The nominees are:

 pdfKerry Beer CV(212 KB)

 pdfHelena Cheah CV(71 KB)

 pdfWendy Evans CV(409 KB)

pdf Terry Maunsell CV(115 KB)

pdf Maria Tsovleas CV(578 KB)

pdf Deborah Wood CV(1.55 MB)

14th Annual General Meeting and Company General Meeting

BUSINESS PAPERS

Member (clubs) will be informed via their club official email address when business papers will be available for download from the website.  Noficiations will commence to be circulated to club's official email addresses on or before the 30 April 2025. 

Agenda:    pdf 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of SISEAP AGENDA(125 KB)

  folder SISEAP DIrector Nominees

Auditors and Treasurers Report

pdf SISEAP 31 Dec 2024 Financial Statements SIGNED & Reviewed(1.14 MB)

pdf SISEAP Treasurer's Comments and Explanation 2024(481 KB)

Federation Convenors Reports

pdf SISEAP Membership reports 2025(936 KB)

pdf SISEAP Executive reports(1.43 MB)

pdf SISEAP Programme Report 2025(1.39 MB)

NATIONAL PRESIDENT'S REPORTS

pdf SISEAP National President's reports(1.52 MB)

Attendance at the Meetings:

One authorised representative from each financial member (Club) within the Federation or a proxy representative should attend this meeting. A proxy representative must be an individual Soroptimist from another member club ie a club within SISEAP.

Required Quorum: 30 Membes (clubs). For a general meeting to be held, at least thirty [30] members (clubs)
(a quorum) must be present (by representative or by proxy) for the whole meeting. When determining whether a quorum is present, a person may only be counted once (even if that person is a representative or proxy of more than one member). [Company Constitution 24.1]

Silent Observers are welcome to attend both meetings.

Registration to attend meetings

Registration for representatives and silent observers will open on the 1st of April.  

There will be two separate registrations forms.  One for club representatives and proxy representatives.  One for silent observers.

Please note: Your club president, secretary or treasurer are required to use the link to register your club representative. This link will need to be utilized from your club email account, i.e. you
will need to be logged into your club email account from www.google.com.  If you have your club email account forwarded to a personal email account such as outlook etc, the link will not work.

ACTIONS FOR CLUB SECRETARIES

• Questions to the Directors and/or the Auditor for the AGM and/or Company Meeting

Member (clubs) are invited to submit questions to the Directors and/or the Auditors.

Federation General Meeting

BUSINESS PAPERS

Agenda:     pdf Federation Virtual General Meeting Agenda 18 May 2025(350 KB)

Federation Convenors Reports

pdf SISEAP Executive repots(1.43 MB)

pdf SISEAP Programme Report 2025(1.39 MB)

pdf SISEAP Membership reports 2025(936 KB)

NATIONAL PRESIDENT'S REPORTS

pdf SISEAP National President's reports(1.52 MB)

Members and guests are invited to attend the Federation General Meeting.  Highlights of the meeting will be the Programme and Membership Best Practice awards.  The National Presidents annual report presentations. The Federation Project - The Brilliant Futures Fund presentation.  Programme and Membership presentations. 

Attendance at the meeting

One authorised representative from each financial member (Club) within the Federation or a proxy representative should attend this meeting. A proxy representative must be an individual Soroptimist from another member club i.e. a club within SISEAP.

Members and guests are welcome to attend both meetings as silent observers.

Registration to attend the meeting

Registration for representatives, proxy representatives and silent observers will open on the 1st of April

There will be two separate registration forms.  One for the member (club) representative and proxy representative.  One for members and guests who will be silent observers.

Please note: Your club president, secretary or treasurer are required to use the link to register your club representative. This link will need to be utilized from your club email account, i.e. you
will need to be logged into your club email account from www.google.com.  If you have your club email account forwarded to a personal email account such as outlook etc, the link will not work.

Actions items for Club Secretaries

• Questions to the Federation General Meeting

Member (clubs) are invited to submit questions to the Federation Position Holders and National Presidents.  Questions are to be submitted via the official form.

• SISEAP Honours & Remembrance Notification

Member (clubs) are invited to inform the Federation of any honours bestowed on individual members and remembrances of deceased members , which will be acknowledged at the meeting.  Notification is via the official form (link below).  Closing date for notification will be the 15th of April 2025.  

  document Honours and Rememberance Notification Form (151 KB)

SISEAP PRESIDENT-ELECT 2026-2028 BIENNIUM
Nomination & Election Process

Tjandra Kerton                                                Dorjsuiyaa Yondonperenlei

Tasneem Ali from SI Nadi has advised she is willing to be nominated for this position.

All those eligible to stand for election for the position of Federation President-Elect for the 2026-2028 Biennium have been emailed by the Federation Secretary on 25 January.

Eligibility Criteria for President-Elect Position

• Have served as a President of her club or region
• Have served as a member on the Federation Board, Federation Officer, Committee Convenor, Assistant Convenor, National Representative/ President for two years within the past eight years
• Be an active member

Election Process Timeline

1 June 2025                            Result of election emailed to members

Federation Fees 2025

A reminder for Clubs who have not taken advantage of the Early Payment Discount that the final due date to pay full fees to HQ is 28 February 2025.

2025 Club Position Holders Changeovers

Each year after the Club AGM, the newly elected Club Officers & Position Holders need to be added into our database. It is very important that each Club completes this task by 31 March 2025.  See ICT Latest News for information on how to. 

Welcome Programme Zone Coordinator 4

Welcome to Elizabeth Harrison who has recently joined the Federation Programme Team as Programme Zone Coordinator 4. See link below for the full Federation Leadership team along with their email addresses

New Name Badge Design

We are thrilled to announce a fresh update to our SISEAP name badges.  The new design incorporates the new SI emblem, includes our Federation name and is consistent with our SISEAP branding colours. The new design is available now.

New Member Badges

We're also excited to announce that we have received our newly designed member badges, featuring the new SI emblem and our Federation name. These are now available for purchase. Our previous badges with the old SI emblem will continue to be sold until stocks run out at a discounted price.

Updated Membership Post Cards

We have just received updated stock of membership postcards featuring the new SI emblem. These postcards are a fantastic tool for promoting SISEAP and engaging prospective members.

Get yours today and help spread the word about SISEAP.

Updated Membership Post Card

We are excited to announce that we have just received updated stock of membership postcards featuring the SI emblem! These postcards are a fantastic tool for promoting SISEAP and engaging prospective members.

Simply fill out the Shop Order Form and send it back to HQ at hq@siseap.org to process!

Get yours today and help spread the word about SISEAP.

Federation Fees 2025

All Clubs have been emailed notification of the Federation Fees and the Annual Return Packs for 2025.

All Soroptimists:
A reminder that the due date for Soroptimists to pay their membership fee to their Club is 31 December 2024.

All Clubs:
To be eligible for the Early Payment Discount. Federation Fees must be received at HQ by no later than 31 January 2025.  Otherwise, the final due date for Clubs to pay fees is 28 February 2025.

HQ Office Holiday Closure

The SISEAP HQ Office will be closed for the holiday period from Monday 23 December 2024 through to Monday 6 January 2025. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2025

SISEAP Shop - End of Year Orders

Orders with Name Badges – Order and payment must be received by 12pm Wed 4 December
Orders without Name Badges – Order and payment must be received by 5pm  Tues 10 December

16 Days of Activism Ribbon
We want to remind you that our 16 Days of Activism Ribbons are available for purchase! By wearing one of these ribbons, you can show your support for this crucial cause and help raise awareness about the need to end gender-based violence. Don’t miss your chance to make a difference—get yours today and join us in taking a stand during this important campaign!

New Name Badge Design

We are thrilled to announce a fresh update to our SISEAP name badges.  The new design incorporates the new SI emblem, includes our Federation name and is consistent with our SISEAP branding colours.
The new design is available now.

New Member Badges - Coming Soon
We’re excited to announce that a new design for our member badges is currently in progress, featuring the new SI emblem. In the meantime, we are offering our existing badges with the old emblem at discounted prices. This is a great opportunity to grab your badge at a fantastic price while we transition to the new design. Stay tuned for updates on the launch of our fresh look!

We are excited to invite you to an impactful online event: Preventing Gender-Based Violence. Mark your calendars for 26 November 2024 6pm AEDT, and be ready to engage in critical discussions that can drive change in our communities.

This event features an amazing lineup of guest speakers who are renowned experts and advocates in the field of gender-based violence prevention. They will share their insights, strategies, and experiences, equipping you with the tools and knowledge necessary to make a difference.

All attendees will have access to the recording for 30 days following the event.

Tickets are $40 for non-members and $35 for members. 

Members can use the code "16DAYSACTIVISM" to receive the member price. 

Helena Hassani
Executive Director, Boland Parwaz

She is a human rights advocate and campaigner for the prevention of child and forced marriage and family violence. Helena is the recipient of the Echoing Green Fellowship 2024 working towards ending child and forced marriage in Australia and globally.

Helena was a delegate to the United Nations in Geneva for the Annual Tripartite Consultation on Resettlement in 2023. She has also been an NGO delegate to the United National recently in March 2024 in New York for the Consultation on the Status of Women 68^th Conference. She is a silver medal winner of the Women Changing the World Award 2024 for the Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Impact category. Helena has significant experience in family violence and modern slavery particularly forced marriage. 

Currently Helena is the Director of Boland Parwaz PTY LTD which is working towards a future without child and forced marriage. She is one the multilingual female facilitators of Men’s Behaviour Change Program for Intouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence in Victoria. Helena is a research assistant for the Anti-Slavery Australia at the University of Technology Sydney and the Modern Slavery Lead at the Mercy Foundation.

Lucy Gregory

CEO, Domestic Violence Prevention Centre Gold Coast

Lucy Gregory is the CEO of the Domestic Violence Prevention Centre in the Gold Coast. (DVPC GC) DVPC GC provides specialist domestic and family violence service and support to adults, children and young people who have experienced DFV and to those who use violence. DVPC also leads the Gold Coast Domestic Violence integrated Response, which has been in operation for over 25 years.

Lucy has had the honour of working in the domestic and family violence space for almost 20 years, including in the ACT, Victoria and Queensland in both direct client service delivery and program and policy development. Lucy previously worked for Family Safety Victoria and was responsible for the practice and operational guidance for the state-wide The Orange Door Network in Victoria. Highlights of Lucy’s career include being Senior Advisor to Rosie Batty, supporting the establishment of the Victim Survivor Advisory Council in Victoria and working on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Lucy is a qualified lawyer and sociologist and is committed to ending violence against women and girls globally.

Karima El Korri

Resident Coordinator Malaysia, United Nations

Ms. Karima El Korri is the Resident Coordinator in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam. She has more than 20 years of international development experience within the United Nations and externally. Within the Organization, she most recently led the 2030 Agenda division at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), a role she assumed after managing the population and development portfolio and pioneering the work of the Commission on international migration, population ageing, and youth empowerment.

Before that, she served as a regional advisor on governance and project coordinator at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. El Korri worked in Morocco as a lecturer at the Al-Akhawayn University as well as with a think-tank engaging with government, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth, and international organizations on development issues in the country.

Richie Hardcore

Activist and Educator - Family and Sexual Violence Prevention

Richie Hardcore is a public speaker, consultant, educator and advocate. His work discusses masculinity, mental health, pornography, sex and consent and how we can end sexual and domestic violence.

He has a Masters's degree in Sociology, is a White Ribbon New Zealand ambassador, and is part of the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development’s ‘Change is Possible’ anti-domestic violence campaign. His work has been featured regularly in the media and was recently part of the SBS Australia documentary series “Asking For It”. He was a multiple New Zealand champion in Muay Thai, and now he has retired from fighting is a coach and trainer. Through his charitable trust he uses Muay Thai and Kickboxing as part of a mentoring program for people who have left the criminal justice system, are in alternative education or alcohol and drug rehabilitation.

Lorraine Finlay

Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission

Lorraine Finlay is the Human Rights Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission.  In this role Lorraine leads the work of the Commission in areas including modern slavery, asylum seekers and refugees, business & human rights, and technology & human rights.

Prior to joining the Commission, Lorraine has worked as a lawyer and academic specializing in human rights and public law.  She holds a dual Masters in Law from New York University and the National University of Singapore, where she studied as a Singapura Scholar.  Her past roles have included working as the Senior Human Trafficking Specialist with the Australian Mission to ASEAN, an academic at Murdoch University, and a State Prosecutor with the WA DPP. 

Naomi Pfitzner

Deputy Director, Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre

Dr Naomi Pfitzner is Deputy Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre and a Lecturer in Criminology at Monash University.

Naomi is also a Associate Investigator on an ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women awarded in 2023. Naomi has extensive research experience in family violence prevention and response. She conducts research in the area of family violence, gender, family studies, social policy and law. Her work has a key focus on the primary prevention of family violence, respectful relationships education and gender equality.

We encourage your club to purchase tickets for this essential event and host an impactful gathering that brings all members together. Additionally, individual members are welcome to buy tickets on their own to enjoy this enlightening experience independently. By joining this collective effort or attending individually, you can foster meaningful discussions and strengthen your commitment to preventing gender-based violence.

Don’t miss out—buy your tickets now to ensure your place and make a difference together!