— Call for Nominations —
National President

The present term of the National President ends at the Australian Convention Business Meeting (CBM) to be held in Sydney in January 2027. Therefore, in accordance with Rule 22.1 and Rule 23 of the Constitution of The Theosophical Society in Australia, I am calling for nominations for the office of National President for a three year term commencing at the Australian CBM in January 2027. The position is a full-time one, based in Sydney, although, in accordance Rule 23.1(c), the National President need not reside within commuting distance of Sydney, provided that he or she is able to travel to attend meetings of the national Executive and National Council, spend additional time at the National Headquarters, and work from home on remote access.

Stephen McDonald is in his second term as National President and is thus eligible to be nominated for re-election. However he has indicated that he will not nominate for a third term, retiring from this position at the next CBM.

The candidate shall be a member of the Theosophical Society who has been in Good Standing for the last five years at least. Nominations must be effected on Form 7 of the Rules and must be accompanied by a photograph of the candidate, curriculum vitae, relevant biographical data, a personal statement by the candidate, and the agreement of the candidate to stand. There shall be three nominators who must be members of the Society in Good Standing for the last three years. Section Rules 22 and 23 explain the procedure of the election and the duties of the National President.

Nominations for the office of National President must be received by the National Secretary on or before Friday, 10 July 2026.

All of the above conditions of the Rules must be met for the nomination to be valid.

Please contact me with any questions.

Stephen McDonald, National President 
Email pres@theosophicalsociety.org.au or
Phone (02) 9264 7056

NATIONAL PRESIDENT — Constitution Rule 23.1

(a) Honorarium/Salary

The National President may be an honorary position or a salaried position with the honorarium or salary determined by the National Council. In making this determination, the National Council shall take into account the qualifications and the personal circumstances of the National President.

(b) Term of Office

The term of office of the National President shall normally commence at a Convention Business Meeting and terminate at another Convention Business Meeting. The National President shall be elected and serve for a term of three (3) years or until a successor is appointed. The National President shall be eligible for nomination and election for a further term, provided that a National President who has served for three (3) successive terms or part terms shall not be eligible for a fourth successive term.

(c) Residence

The National President need not reside within commuting distance of the National Headquarters provided that he or she is at least able to travel to attend meetings of the national Executive and the National Council, unless prevented from doing so by illness, and provided that she or he is able to work on remote access to the Section’s computer system (server) from their place of residence. In the case of a National President not residing within commuting distance of Sydney, he or she would have to spend additional time at the national headquarters before or after committee meetings, as and when required.

(d) Duties

The duties of the National President are:

1. To be responsible for continually monitoring 
   (A) the needs and functions of the Lodges (Branches) in relation to the purposes for which they were chartered,
   (B) the needs of Groups and National Members, and
   (C) the adequacy of services provided by National Headquarters, and, where necessary, to take appropriate action.
2. To be the driving force within the National Society for the promulgation of Theosophy and to act as the main face of Theosophy to the public and other organizations.
3. To receive and deal with representations from individual Members.
4. To make regular visits to the Lodges (Branches) and generally see to their welfare.
5. To organise and arrange the programme for the Convention.
6. As part of the main thrust of Theosophy in Australia, to supervise the maintenance of a National Lectureship Programme including the coordination of visits by both overseas and local lecturers and speakers to the various Lodges (Branches) and, where possible, Groups, and to ensure that all Lodges (Branches) are adequately served in this respect over a suitable time scale.
7. To Chair the Education and Training Committee and to hold overall responsibility for the organisation of national educational events.
8. To Chair the Electronic Media Committee which shall hold overall responsibility for the national website and the use of other electronic media subject to the direction of the National Council.
9. To comply with the Rules and Regulations of The Theosophical Society and the Rules of the National Society for the time being in force.
10. To take direction from, and to carry out the relevant directions of the Convention, the National Council and the Executive Committee.
11. To submit an Annual Report of the National Society to the President* and to the National Convention, after approval of the Report by the Executive Committee and to publish a summary of this report in the National Magazine. The Annual Report shall be sent to the President not later than the first day of November each year and shall include statistics of Lodges (Branches) and membership and a copy of the audited financial statement of accounts.
    [ * Note: President means President of The Theosophical Society]
12. As a member of the General Council of the Society, to participate in General Council meetings as often as possible and to carry out duties pertaining to the work of the General Council as required.

The Constitution Online
Constitution of The Theosophical Society in Australia

A Note on Elections from the National Council

While the freedom of thought and expression of TS members within the limits of courtesy and consideration is respected, active lobbying by individuals, groups of members, Lodges, Branches or theosophical groups in elections for International President, National President and Lodge (Branch) President, is expressly discouraged by the National Council. Lobbying is divisive in nature, working against our first and primary Object of brotherhood; and in fairness, all candidates should have an equal opportunity during an electoral process. With this in mind, it is recommended that qualifying members who agree to be nominated for election be aware of the importance of providing a comprehensive and honest set of supporting documents, as required under the relevant Rules. This will also enable the members of the TS in Australia to make an informed choice based on evidence, rather than on lobbying, which is often biased.