Chloe Dallimore Steps Down as President of MEAA

Chloe Dallimore has announced her decision to stand down as federal president of MEAA Equity after six years in the role.

Chloe said it was a difficult decision but felt she needed to step aside because of personal reasons. Her resignation was formally accepted last night at a meeting of the MEAA Board, which has appointed actor, director and producer Jason Klarwein as federal president of Equity until elections in mid-2021.

Chloe said she was proud to have steered the union through #MeToo with the development of the Sexual Harassment and Bullying Code, her work on resolving a stalemate over imported artists with Live Performance Australia, and the recognition of gender diversity in our union. She said Equity's relationships with LPA, Screen Producers Australia, agents and major producers have healed, developed and thrived, even through challenging negotiations and issues.

"The recently agreed Cultural Leave clause in the Michael Cassel Group agreement gives me such hope for the continued 'heart discussions' that our union needs to have in every corner of our workplaces," she said.

"The Diversity Committee was in its infancy when I started, and since then the Wellness Committee, Acting Parents, Indigenous Committee MEAA and Musical Theatre Committees have all been created and are now an important resource for our staff and members. I leave you all in incredible hands and I look forward to the next phase of our union."

New federal president Jason Klarwein has served as Queensland representative on the MEAA Board since 2015 and been a member of the National Performers Committee since 2013. He is the first federal president based outside NSW in Equity's history.

Jason said: "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Chloe Dallimore as president of Equity. Chloe has worked tirelessly in a volunteer capacity for the last six years not only building union membership but fostering in some of the biggest industrial and cultural changes our industry has seen for many decades.

"I look forward to representing our members and industry colleagues who are in the midst of what only can be described as the biggest challenge since World War Two. However, I am buoyed by the fact that I stand on the shoulders of incredible artists who have built the amazing cultural reputation we have worldwide and have dedicated their free time to the betterment of working conditions and pay.

"We are the storytellers of our nation and the custodians of our future. It is only through culture that a country such as ours can truly see and experience itself and hopefully give birth to a strong, vibrant and inclusive future."

Jason Klarwein has worked nationally and internationally with Australia's leading theatre companies and has been the artistic director of Grin and Tonic since 2011. The Queensland-based theatre company delivers critically-acclaimed mainstage productions, as well as workshops to over 60,000 school students per year. Klarwein has been a member of MEAA for nearly 20 years serving on the Queensland Branch, National Performers Committee and the MEAA Board. He is currently in Sydney directing Cursed! for Belvoir Theatre.

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