AIPP + ACMP = Better together!
According to the presidents of the AIPP and ACMP, the merger of the two organisations is all good news for all members. Both AIPP President, Ross Eason and ACMP President, Richard Weinstein emphasised the value of having one professional body.
A truly national body is a great benefit for ACMP members. “The ACMP was strongest in Sydney and Melbourne,” said Weinstein. “We were not really representing our members in rural and regional Australia as we would have liked to. Now, we can offer those members so much more.”
Members of both organisations should benefit from the sharing of running costs within a single, larger, organisation. “Operating a membership-based organisation has unavoidable overheads,” said Eason. “Both professional bodies realised it made sense to combine resources, with the cost benefits going back to the members.”
Eason says that the savings are realised through practical measures, such as shared databases. “The AIPP just finished a new website and database management system. ACMP were looking at something similar, and it will now be something all members can enjoy. We are working closely together to build the ACMP content,” he said.
Realising a shared desire for a universal professional standard is also seen as one of the benefits of the merger. “If we’re going to create a standard for accreditation, then that standard should be common throughout the industry, and there should be one body offering that accreditation,” said Eason.
Expanding on the professional accreditation theme, Weinstein suggested that standards for professional photographers would now be more clearly articulated to education institutions. “They can look to one body for their mentorship, support and code of conduct,” he said. “It’s also a strong message for new photographers coming in to the profession.”
Weinstein believes that merging into a single body also offers benefits to clients, as they too will be able to look to one organisation as the source of professional standards.
The merged organisation will take time to evolve as the boards continue to consult about the myriad details. Regarding the AIPP awards, Eason said: “In the long run, the Awards may evolve a little bit. The boards have had consultation about what could happen. Certainly this year, it will be business as usual, with greater representation from ACMP members.” Weinstein sees that involvement as a good thing. “The AIPP APPA awards have a commercial division,” he said. “A lot of commercial photographers are now going to get the benefit of being involved.”
One united body is also expected to offer stronger representation to government when the need arises to lobby as an industry in the interests of issues such as copyright protection for photographers. “Photographers may not see all the work behind the scenes, but they see the long-term benefit when things get changed,” said Weinstein. “We’ve got a lot of interesting challenges, and opportunities coming up.”