April 8, 2026
At the Society’s 159th Annual General Meeting, held on 8 April 2026 in the Michael Crouch Room of the State Library of NSW, the results of the 2026 Council elections were announced.
The election was conducted by electronic ballot over three weeks from noon on 16 March until noon on 6 April 2026.
Some 217 ballots were submitted by 739 eligible voters, corresponding to a return rate of 29.4% — identical to the rate in recent years.
Procedural Motions
- Approval of Minutes of the 158th Annual General Meeting (2025) — For: 168 votes; Against: 1 vote; Abstentions: 48
- Receipt of the Annual Report and the Financial Report for 2025 — For: 196 votes; Against: 0 votes; Abstentions: 21
- Confirmation of Auditors for 2026 — For: 201 votes; Against: 0 votes; Abstentions: 16
- Resolution to update Rule 8: Admission of Members and Fellows of the Society — For: 207 votes; Against: 3 votes; Abstentions: 7 votes
Accordingly, all four procedural motions were declared as having passed.
Election of Office-Bearers
For the position of Treasurer, there was only a single nomination received. Accordingly, the nominee listed below was declared as having been elected unopposed at the Annual General Meeting.
| Office/Role | Candidate |
| Treasurer | Erin Gao MRSN |
Election of four Ordinary Council Members (from six candidates)
There were 868 votes tallied from 217 voters.
In alphabetical order, the results were:
- Honorary Professor Sean Brawley FRSN — 160 votes
- Mr Medy Hassan OAM FRSN — 153 votes
- Dr Liz KIllen MRSN — 197 votes
- Associate Professor Holly Randell-Moon MRSN— 126 votes
- Dr Michael Taylor FRSN — 120 votes
- Zile Yu MRSN — 112 votes
Accordingly, those elected to fill the four vacancies for Ordinary Members of Council are, in alphabetical order:
- Honorary Professor Sean Brawley FRSN
- Mr Medy Hassan OAM FRSN
- Dr Liz Killen MRSN
- Associate Professor Holly Randell-Moon MRSN
The newly elected Officer-Bearer and Council Members shall remain in office for two years from the close of the Annual General Meeting on 8 April 2026 until the Annual General Meeting in April 2028.
Council 2026–2027
The incoming Council for 2026–2027 took office immediately following the 2026 Annual General Meeting. Its composition is listed in the table below.
| Role | Occupant(s) |
| Patron | Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales |
| President | Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN (until April 2027) |
| Vice-President | Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN (until April 2027) |
| Secretary | Emeritus Professor Trevor Brown FRSN (until April 2027) |
| Treasurer | Erin Gao MRSN (until April 2028) | Editor (JProc) | Emeritus Professor Robert Marks FRSN (until December 2026) |
| Librarian | Emeritus Professor Stephen Garton AM FRSN (until April 2027) |
| Webmaster | Emeritus Professor Graham Town FRSN (until April 2027) |
| Councillors | Professor Sean Brawley FRSN (until April 2028) | Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher FRSN (until April 2027) | Mr Medy Hassan OAM FRSN (until April 2028) |
| Dr Davina Jackson FRSN (until April 2027) | |
| Dr Liz Killen MRSN (until April 2028) | |
| Associate Professor Holly Randell-Moon MRSN (until April 2028) | |
| Appointed Members (2) | |
| To be determined by the Council (until April 2028) | |
| To be determined by the Council (until April 2028) | |
| Branch Representatives | |
| Hunter Branch | Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN (until April 2028) | New England North West Branch | Professor Vicki Bitsika AM FRSN (until April 2027) | Southern Highlands Branch | Ms Ann Fieldhouse MRSN (until April 2027) | Western NSW Branch | To be advised (until April 2028) |
