Crikey yesterday carried more of my earlier story here about the mess going on within the state and national newsagent associations. The battle between the states and the national body is part personal between a few men, part about leadership and part about good governance and transparency.
Newsagents have the structure and leadership they have voted for (or not as the case may be). The reality is that unless all parties find a way to work together and demonstrate respect for each other, the channel will be lost as there will be no national voice on the issues that matter and that will eliminate the strength of any state based voice.
Newsagent associations Boards agreed on a national unity strategy just a few months ago. All Directors would be well advised to revisit what they agreed to and to reaffirm their support for this. This means putting the personality politics aside and focusing on the needs of the newsagents in the trenches doing it tough every day. Good leadership is what is really needed and that will only come with fresh blood at the Board table.
UPDATE: (9:15PM) The ANF announced this afternoon that it has withdrawn from the agreed co-existence model with the state associations in NSW and QLD. The challenge is how all stakeholders react from here. Newsagents need strong visionary leadership. They have not had this to this point.