In 2008, the Amnesty International Australia Board made a commitment to the National Annual General Meeting to strengthen the democracy in the organisation's governance and decision-making.

From this commitment, the Strengthening Democracy Project was born.

The Strengthening Democracy Project engaged with Amnesty International Australia stakeholders around the organisation's democratic processes and structures over the course of 2009. The overarching aim of the consultation was to strengthen Amnesty International Australia's effectiveness, decision making ability, relevance and impact for human rights.

The starting point for the Project was the Vision for 2014 - agreed to by supporters - to protect and defend the human rights of more people by inspiring and leading the area of human rights as an inclusive, authoritative, relevant and bold organisation.

Feedback was gathered from participants in the Project over two phases and was then presented to the Board for its consideration. Based on the volumes of stakeholder contributions received, the Board produced a set of proposed amendments to the Amnesty International Constitution. These will be submitted to the National Extraordinary General Meeting - which will run from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2009 - for decision.

This work was done in parallel to, but distinct from, a similar project undertaken at the international level of Amnesty International.