Frequently Asked Questions About the Board of Nominators
Why is there an election for Archbishop of Melbourne?
Archbishop Philip Freier will retire as the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne after 18 years of ministry on 9 February 2025 when he reaches 70 years of age. This is because the Archbishopric Act 1980 of the Synod of the Diocese of Melbourne sets a mandatory retirement age of 70 years for the Archbishop.
What is the process?
The Archbishop Election Act 2022 of the Synod sets out the process for election of a new Archbishop of Melbourne whenever there is a retirement or vacancy. Under the Act, the Diocese of Melbourne uses a two-step election process: in short, a Board of Nominators presents a list of 2 to 6 candidates to the Election Synod, then the Election Synod elects one of them as the next Archbishop of Melbourne. The Registrar of the Diocese, Malcolm Tadgell, presented a summary of the process to Synod members in June 2024, available here.
What is the Board of Nominators?
The Board of Nominators is elected by the Synod. The primary role of the Board of Nominators is to present 2 to 6 candidates to the Election Synod for its consideration. The Board also has a role in assisting the Administrator of the Diocese and the Registrar to make arrangements for the Election Synod and must prepare information for the Election Synod about each candidate.
Who are the members of the current Board of Nominators?
The Board of Nominators was formally convened on 10 August 2024 and has up to twelve months to complete its work. The members of this Board of Nominators were elected by Synod in October 2023 and hold office in accordance with the Archbishop Election Act 2022. The Act provides for the election of 18 members, 9 clergy and 9 laity. If any vacancies occur in the Board’s membership after its first formal meeting, these are not filled (unless the Board is reconvened for a second Election Synod Meeting). The current membership of the Board can be seen here
Lay: Matthew Crichton, Jenny George, Ian Gibson, Ian Harper, Fiona McLean, Chris Sadler, Michael Shand, Dianne Shay, Peter Sherlock
Clergy: Kirsty Brown, Farag Hanna, Andreas Loewe, Andrew Livingstone,
Christopher Porter, Alison Taylor, Ben Wong
Who are the officers of the Board of Nominators?
The Board has appointed officers to support its work and to meet the requirements of the Archbishop Election Act 2022.
Chair: Dr Jenny George
Deputy Chair: Mr Chris Sadler
Secretary: Mr Matthew Crichton
Treasurer: Revd Kirsty Brown
The Board has also engaged the Revd Sandy Jones as external consultant to provide executive support. She has signed a confidentiality agreement.
Is the process confidential?
The Archbishop Election Act 2022 requires the members of the Board of Nominators to sign a confidentiality statement, available here at page 42.
The confidentiality requirements are similar to those for members of parish nomination committees in the appointment of vicars found in the Parish Governance Act. Confidentiality gives assurance to the people the Board will consider as potential candidates that their names will not be made public during the process and for at least 30 years afterwards, if they or the Board decide they are not to be presented as candidates to the Election Synod.
Who is eligible for election as Archbishop of Melbourne?
The Board of Nominators may only consider people who are “clerks in full orders”. This means people who are either priests or bishops in the worldwide Anglican Church and may include both men and women. They must be under 70 years of age.
The person elected as Archbishop must meet the requirements for “canonical fitness” as provided in the Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia sections 8 and 74 (1). This means the person must be at least 30 years of age, baptised, and in priests’ or bishop’s orders as confirmed by the Provincial Bishops or a majority of them.
The person must also meet a range of other requirements – for example those relating to safe ministry, working with children or eligibility to be managing a corporation – established by the church or the state. These requirements reflect the gravity of the role and are assessed both during the election process, and after an election has occurred.
A person must give their consent in order for the Board of Nominators to present their name to the Election Synod.
Will there be any consultation by the Board of Nominators?
The Board of Nominators is keen to consult widely across the Diocese and its stakeholders, and especially with Election Synod members. This will done through surveys and interviews and other tools, including discussion at the October 2024 Synod. Please check this website for further details.
What is the Election Synod?
The Election Synod is a meeting of eligible members of Melbourne Synod. Full details of who is eligible to be an Election Synod member may be found in the Archbishop Election Act 2022. It is the responsibility of the Election Synod to consider the list of candidates prepared by the Board of Nominators and to elect one of these candidates as Archbishop of Melbourne. The Election Synod may hold a debate on the candidates before voting in a series of ballots.
When will the Election Synod be held?
The date for the Election Synod is decided by the Administrator of the Diocese in consultation with the Chair of the Board of Nominators. The Election Synod must be held between 10 March 2025 and 10 August 2025. The Board of Nominators has advised that at this stage the Election Synod will not be held before May 2025.
How is a candidate elected as Archbishop of Melbourne?
To be elected as Archbishop of Melbourne, a candidate requires the votes of at least two-thirds of clergy and two-thirds of laity at the Election Synod. The Archbishop Election Act 2022 provides detailed information about the voting process, and about what happens if no candidate receives enough votes to be elected.
How can I support the Archbishop election process?
First, please pray, both individually and collectively in your parishes and congregations. Your prayers are especially sought for all involved in the process: the Board of Nominators, the Election Synod members, the people the Board will consider as potential candidates, Archbishop Philip Freier as he prepares for retirement, and Bishop Genieve Blackwell as she prepares to be Administrator of the Diocese.
A selection of prayers prepared by the Board for your use may be found here
Second, you may wish to suggest names of potential candidates to the Board of Nominators. Election Synod members have been formally invited to make nominations as required by the Archbishop Election Act 2022, but anyone in the Diocese is welcome to suggest names. You can do this by completing the nomination form located here