May 2020
Vol. 1 No. 2 ISSN: 2652-5836
Message from your CEO Karen Lee
Dear member
Welcome to the second IPEd-wide newsletter.
Thanks to all the members who provided their many and varied suggestions about the title. There were 45 different options to choose from. The Communications Working Party deliberated long and hard about which proposed title best fitted the criteria.
The winner, as you can see, is Gatherings. Congratulations to Joan Gladwyn, Website Coordinator for Editors Aotearoa New Zealand.
Joan’s reasoning behind the name was that the newsletter gathers information from the branches to make it available to all members. IPEd gathers members from across Australia and New Zealand, bringing them together. And gatherings are the folded sheets that a bookbinder sews together, producing the final volume, which is a method of communication (albeit not the method used for an email newsletter).
We are now working on a masthead for the newsletter and aim to have that ready for the June issue.
COVID-19 updates
IPEd has continued to provide regular updates to members about COVID-19 responses and assistance available to members.
One of our members, who is also a member of the ATO’s Small Business Stewardship Group (SBSG), has successfully advocated for the JobKeeper package to be extended to sole traders. You can read about it here. The ATO has also extended the deadline to apply for JobKeeper, and there is more about that in the latest communique we issued this week, too.
Applications for JobKeeper opened on 20 April and will close by the end of May for payments starting 30 March or 13 April. Read more here.
If members have any questions or concerns, our member is happy to raise them at SBSG meetings, which are occurring weekly while JobKeeper is rolled out. Please email communication@iped-editors.org and your queries will be passed along.
For our New Zealand members, there are further updates about changes to assist sole traders who may be eligible for a one-off loan if they have been adversely affected by COVID-19. Applications will open by 12 May.
That announcement was made here and further information about whether you qualify can be accessed here.
Any members having difficulty with membership renewal fees during these tough times are welcome to email Nicole Mathers at secretary@iped-editors.org to discuss any assistance IPEd can provide.
IPEd is committed to doing everything we can to assist members as we weather the COVID-19 pandemic together, but socially distant.
Editors Directory upgrades
IPEd is continuously working behind the scenes for our members in every way possible and we are excited to announce the development of a keyword search for the online Editors Directory (ED). This is a function many ED subscribers have asked for.
We emailed professional members last week about updating their ED entries to get maximum benefits from the keyword search. The function is now live.
The keyword search is just one of many subtle changes that have already been made to the ED. Several requested subject areas also have been added, so now is the time to update your entry and include any missing information.
Accreditation Board forum
The Accreditation Board held a free, open forum on 15 March 2020 to introduce the current board delegates, provide an overview of IPEd’s accreditation scheme, and answer questions about accreditation. The forum transcript is now available – read it here.
Welcome to new SCPD Chair
Dr Amanda Müller AE
Photo credit: Mariana Guiu and IEAA
Dr Amanda Müller AE took over from Dr Linda Nix AE as chair of the Standing Committee for Professional Development (SCPD) from 22 April. Linda will remain on the SCPD as an ordinary member and remains chair of the Accreditation Board. Amanda is a member of Editors SA and brings considerable experience to the SCPD.
Amanda is a senior lecturer at Flinders University. She has completed many different kinds of professional development and provided it to staff. Dr Müller has many education awards and teaches in the areas of professional and academic English, specifically for students with English as an Additional Language.
Thanks to outgoing IPEd Chair, Kerry Davies
What a year 2020 has been and, during this time of constant change, IPEd is preparing for another big change, with our trusted and steadfast Chair, Kerry Davies AE, standing down from the role, as she announced she would at the AGM six months ago.
Under Kerry’s leadership over the past five years, IPEd has successfully transitioned into a national, and now international, body for professional editors. Kerry has championed key initiatives for IPEd, proposing and helping to establish the annual Rosanne Fitzgibbon Editorial Award (the Rosie), IPEd’s Ambassador Program and the Janet Mackenzie Medal, to name but a few of her achievements. Kerry has worked tirelessly to develop myriad policies and has guided the establishment of numerous standing committees and working parties.
As Chair of the Pay Rates Working Party, she has also been part of the team developing the first guide to fair pay rates for freelance editors, which will be available on the website soon. Members will be notified via email once they are available.
I admire Kerry’s passion in ensuring our members are always at the forefront of our work and purpose. IPEd is all the better for it.
It has been a privilege to work with Kerry since my appointment in June 2016. On behalf of IPEd staff and the Board, I wish to extend our thanks and gratitude for her insight, formidable stamina and intellect and, above all, her dedication to the profession and to the organisation.
Warm regards
Karen Lee
Chief Executive Officer
