He has been behind some of the biggest social media campaigns of the past three years, but at the age of 27, Sam McLean, the national director of GetUp! is stepping down.
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Mr McLean has resigned from the activist organisation, with chief of projects Paul Oosting to take his place as acting national director.
In words reminiscent of the departure of the previous national director Simon Sheikh three years ago, Mr McLean said he was leaving for a break and his board have suggested he "go lie on the beach".
But it won't be a long rest, with the campaigner planning to take some time to visit remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia facing closure.
"We've been campaigning on issues about those communities but I've been too busy to get out and spend time with the people we've been fighting for," he said.
Mr McLean joined GetUp! as a volunteer eight years ago after visits to the Villawood detention centre in Sydney made him want to try to change the way asylum seekers were being treated in Australia.
In his time at the organisation, its membership numbers have grown from about 200,000 in its early days to nearly 800,000 now – although GetUp! calculates those figures by including any person who has signed a petition or been involved in a recent campaign.
Since taking over as national director three years ago, he has helmed high profile campaigns on health, refugees and the environment.
Mr McLean nominated a High Court victory that led to the Gillard government committing an extra $1 billion to mental health as a highlight.
More recently, he said GetUp's work with other environment groups to lobby against coal projects near the Great Barrier Reef showed environmental campaigns had "stepped up a level" in Australia.
"I've never seen a state election in recent years, as we did in Queensland, where an environmental issue was polling in the top three as election changing issues," he said.
He said the next federal election would be "the most important election in a long time".
Mr Oosting said there would be an international search for a permanent replacement for Mr McLean.
He said a recent survey showed members wanted the organisation to focus on refugees, fossil fuels and climate change, and coal developments near the Great Barrier Reef.
"Our focus is on engaging as many Australians as possible," he said.
