Optometry Victoria South Australia (OV/SA) has responded to the news of Murray Smith’s resignation as President of Optometry Australia. As Deputy President and then President of Optometry Australia, and as the immediate past President of OV, the division said Mr Smith had made a significant contribution to the profession.
“Murray oversaw significant change for Victoria during his time as President of Optometry Victoria, including the amalgamation with Optometry South Australia, securing the bid to host the World Congress of Optometry in Melbourne in 2023 along with O=MEGA23, and ensuring the governance processes and operations of the division were the very best they could be,” said Elise Pocknee-Clem, President of OV/SA.
This is mostly a procedural matter and is designed to ensure the Divisions and National have far greater clarity in decision making for the ultimate benefit of all members
“Any leadership position such as the role of President of the association does include numerous pressures and we understand and accept that Murray has made this decision based on his personal circumstances. We are sorry to see Murray depart, however we are confident that the future of the federation is strong and will continue to evolve to meet future needs,” said Pocknee-Clem.
“We look forward to working with the new President of Optometry Australia in the interests of all members,” she said.
Ilsa Hampton, CEO of OV/SA, said, “As was noted in Optometry Australia’s media release OV/SA has been in discussion with the other state divisions of our federation to develop a few changes to the OA constitution. This is mostly a procedural matter and is designed to ensure the Divisions and National have far greater clarity in decision making for the ultimate benefit of all members.
“The changes are designed to bring the Federation closer together; to strengthen strategy and operations for the benefit of our membership nationally. We are confident that all current member services including CPD, support, PII, advocacy and other initiatives at the national and state levels will continue uninterrupted,” she said.
If you have questions, contact [email protected] or call (AUS) 03 9652 9100.
