The forum has about 50 members and meets once a fortnight when the Parliament sits. No list of members is published or made available, although last month when it was suggested disgraced Senator Bob Woods had been a member of the forum, Mr Andrews rifled through his papers to determine if he was. Much to Mr Andrews' relief, given Senator Woods' extra-marital activities, he was able to deny he had been a member. Mr Howard used to attend the dinners but according to Mr Andrews has not been since he became Opposition Leader. RU486 - could be described as a kindred spirit.
Membership is restricted to coalition MPs.
According to Mr Andrews, the forum did not play a role in the Funder issue and did not meet while the issue was raging. However, the successes of the members of the Lyons Forum, whether acting individually or in concert, formally or informally, have made it a powerful force within the Howard Government. The question now after the passage of the anti-euthanasia bill is whether the Lyons Forum will be emboldened to move on medical funding for abortions. The Prime Minister has said he will not support such a move. Mr Andrews says he has no intention of moving on this front and knows of no other member of the forum who plans to.