Well, today I got news that the Wireless Institute Australia has decided to change the cost of membership, not in the favourable direction either. This, on top of a $1 increase in our annual license fees (to $66/year), and substantially blown out costs for obtaining a license.
For someone like myself, who is no longer a student but still not rolling in money, it means if we decide to get involved in this de-facto union, we’re coughing up $80/year. That’s more than our radio license, which is expensive enough. Now, I am not a member, never have been… and at the moment I find it hard to justify why membership to an organisation should approach triple figures, especially when one considers that amateur radio is a hobby.
Things like my membership to Engineers Australia, yeah fine, that’s considered a “professional membership” and I can write that off on tax. (Although I am seriosly considering whether to cull that membership!) The WIA however does not fall under the same umbrella. I think things are getting a little extortionate.
Examinations are also a lot more expensive than they used to be. Apparently if you’re going for a radio license today, you don’t get much change out of $300. That’s for three examinations (two if you’re a Foundation candidate) and for a “callsign recommendation” (which costs $20 if you wish to choose a callsign, or $5 if you don’t). If I had to cough up $300 back in 2007 when I went for my Foundation license, I would have left the examination paper on the table unmarked and walked away. I would not have been able to afford it then, and I would not be a radio amateur today.
Part of this is the agreement that the WIA has entered into with the ACMA. The ACMA apparently demand that the fees be representative of the cost of the service or some such nonsense. Once again, I say, this is a hobby. We’re not commercial enterprise. We are not using radio communications to make money (in fact for most of us, it’s quite the opposite). It is therefore not reasonable to treat us like one of your commercial clients.
Some would argue that one needs to support the hobby. Here I whole heartedly agree. You don’t however encourage people to join in if you make it financially out of their reach. Supposing the WIA made the annual cost $200 instead of the near $100 it is now… would they expect to nett more members? This seems to be the logic, that the status quo will get people rolling in. Newsflash: it won’t. It’s probably worth noting that there are some amateurs who will not join no matter what the cost – they believe the organisation is too union-like for their tastes. This is understandable, and thus perhaps there’s this image problem that may be why attracting members is such a problem.
I myself try to support the hobby by being an active member, lending support to the clubs around me, and generally sparking interest that may entice others to come join us. Part of this is why I take the callbacks for the WIA news service of a Sunday morning (0900 on 147.000MHz FM). I hope that by encouraging others to get involved, the community can grow. This requires minimal expenditure of funds on my part, and I think, is more effective.
Paying $80 to some group in Victoria probably won’t change much around me… but getting out on the bicycle with the radio on board… someone tuning around suddenly hears “VK4MSL bicycle mobile”… Hang on, haven’t heard that before… curiousity gets the better of them and some activity is generated. Or if not that, it’s the general chit chat between groups about the projects they’ve been working on.
If the bands sound like a ghost town because we’re too busy earning a quid to afford membership fees, then the radio community will die, people will ask “What’s the point? There’s nobody here!”. The repeaters here in Brisbane already remain dormant most of the time, and activity on HF is sparadic at best. Do we really want to encourage this?
I think we need to consider why people aren’t getting involved with their local clubs. Do we perhaps adopt a model like some parts of Europe, wherein your membership to a given club includes membership in the national body? Bundle some packages up to offer services more cost effectively? I for one don’t care for getting involved at a administrative level and magazines aren’t of great concern. I recognise however that the WIA provides funding for things like public liability insurance and major club projects. Maybe for those who aren’t interested in politics, there’s room for a non-voting membership that just funds the services needed by our clubs without all the frills?
Whatever happens, it is clear to me that the current trend is not sustainable. The group and the community at large will continue to hemerage as the populace grows older and daily necessities compete for a chunk of our bank balance. I think this area by far, is in dire need of reconsideration.
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