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auDA Board Elections

neddy

Top Contributor
Great, thanks! I'll make sure I become a member before the election.

Just a follow up to FPR's post, but there are a couple of quirks everyone needs to know with regards obtaining membership in time to vote at the AGM / Elections.

Clause 9.8 of the auDA Constitution states:

9.8 Lodging of Applications

An application for membership, accompanied by the applicable membership fee and entrance fee, where applicable, must be lodged with auDA in the form and at the place (if any) approved by the Board from time to time.

9.9 Determination of Application by the Board

a. The Board must determine whether or not to approve each application for Membership at the next Board meeting after receipt of the application.


So this in essence means if you apply next week, your application won't be considered until next board meeting.


Clause 16.1 states:

16.1 Entitlement to vote

Every Member who:

a. was a Member on 14 October 2003 and has continuously been a Member since that date; or

b. has been a Member for not less than three (3) months,

present at a general meeting in person or represented by proxy or representative has one vote. (Amended by Special Resolutions, 27 November 2003 and 14 August 2006.)


So not only is their a potential delay in getting your membership approved, it has to be done at least 3 months prior to the AGM in October for you to be allowed to vote!


http://www.auda.org.au/about/constitution/


So for those that are wanting to vote in October, I would get a wiggle on and get your membership application in. :)

Here again is the link to the form: http://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-membership-form.pdf
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neddy

Top Contributor
So for those that are wanting to vote in October, I would get a wiggle on and get your membership application in. :)

Here again is the link to the form: http://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-membership-form.pdf
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This is really, really important for anybody wanting to become an auDA member (and have the ability to vote on issues)!

I emailed auDA to ask when is the latest date to have your membership applications in (if you want to vote at the AGM in either October or November).

This is because:


  • Membership applications only get considered and approved at Board Meetings.

  • You have to be a member for at least 3 months before you are allowed to vote.

According to auDA, the last opportunity to get approved so you can vote is the board meeting of 12th June.

So you will need to have your applications and $22 fee in to auDA by no later than 4th June (to be on the safe side).

This is only a month away!

If you do it later than this, you will still be a member - but you won't be able to vote this year.

Here is the link to the form again: http://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-membership-form.pdf

It's not a lot of money, so if you want your voice heard, please just do it!

(If you have any queries, please PM or email me).
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marketingweb

Top Contributor
I'm going to sign up.

BUT, there is one thing that baffles my mind in the same way faxed COR forms do.

"Fees may be paid by mail (cash or cheque) or by direct deposit"

This the organisation responsible for running the whole freaking internet in Australia (well sort of), yet you can't register and pay online! I have to post a cheque (who even has them as a small business person these days), cash (not recommended by anyone with a brain), or a direct deposit (the best way, but still cumbersome).

It's stuff like this that in my mind is designed to discourage anyone but big business with vested interests from joining - ie they don't want more members, they want less, so they make it cumbersome to join.

Oh, and I need to fax the form and list my fax number? I don't have a freaking fax number, it's not 1996. Am I not allowed to join without a fax number? - Wait, yes I can I can MAIL it. But I can't submit it online, no siree, I must use 1990's technology to register with the people who RUN THE INTERNET.

Is this insane to anyone else?
 
Last edited:

aus11

Top Contributor
I'm going to sign up.

BUT, there is one thing that baffles my mind in the same way faxed COR forms do.

"Fees may be paid by mail (cash or cheque) or by direct deposit"

This the organisation responsible for running the whole freaking internet in Australia (well sort of), yet you can't register and pay online! I have to post a cheque (who even has them as a small business person these days), cash (not recommended by anyone with a brain), or a direct deposit (the best way, but still cumbersome).

It's stuff like this that in my mind is designed to discourage anyone but big business with vested interests from joining - ie they don't want more members, they want less, so they make it cumbersome to join.

Oh, and I need to fax the form and list my fax number? I don't have a freaking fax number, it's not 1996. Am I not allowed to join without a fax number? - Wait, yes I can I can MAIL it. But I can't submit it online, no siree, I must use 1990's technology to register with the people who RUN THE INTERNET.

Is this insane to anyone else?

+1

Does seem like we have we have stepped back 10 years...

If the Australian Electoral Commission can accept scanned and emailed forms, I don't see why auda would have a problem with them...
 

neddy

Top Contributor
Oh, and I need to fax the form and list my fax number? I don't have a freaking fax number, it's not 1996. Am I not allowed to join without a fax number? - Wait, yes I can I can MAIL it. But I can't submit it online, no siree, I must use 1990's technology to register with the people who RUN THE INTERNET.

+1

Does seem like we have we have stepped back 10 years...

If the Australian Electoral Commission can accept scanned and emailed forms, I don't see why auda would have a problem with them...

Good points.

All I can say is that change happens from within - albeit slowly sometimes. :)

We got the 6 month rule changed - so I reckon this should be an easy one. (Hope that's not famous last words!).

In fact, I am going to write a formal letter to auDA next week about this so it can be considered at their next board meeting in June. That's how you to have to start these processes off.

But please don't let this deter anyone from joining - as I said, change happens from within, and every vote is so important.
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marketingweb

Top Contributor
Good points.

All I can say is that change happens from within - albeit slowly sometimes. :)

We got the 6 month rule changed - so I reckon this should be an easy one. (Hope that's not famous last words!).

In fact, I am going to write a formal letter to auDA next week about this so it can be considered at their next board meeting in June. That's how you to have to start these processes off.

But please don't let this deter anyone from joining - as I said, change happens from within, and every vote is so important.
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Thanks Ned sounds great. Good on you for writing a proper letter, i'm too lazy to do so myself to be honest.

I think you will find this is a MUCH harder change to get through. This is an organisation that has the same board elected year after year based on a membership that is a miniscule percentage of the potential/relevant members. Winning an election on 60 something votes where every vote really does count is almost unheard of these days for any organisation of significance.

The very limited pool of voters works well for the incumbant board members. Do we see them pushing for more members - most certainly not - most people have never heard of it and never will. As I said they don't WANT more members, because more members means more risk of them getting voted out, more pressure to actually do something to please the voters, rather than relying on their same set of votes year after year.

If there was an online form to fill out with simple online credit card payment, I bet twice as many people from this forum would register as have currently, especially if they also removed the required to be a member for a certain period before the election. But if they do neither, they keep their jobs by default.

Good luck with it though.
 

neddy

Top Contributor
This is really, really important for anybody wanting to become an auDA member (and have the ability to vote on issues)!

I emailed auDA to ask when is the latest date to have your membership applications in (if you want to vote at the AGM in either October or November).

This is because:


  • Membership applications only get considered and approved at Board Meetings.

  • You have to be a member for at least 3 months before you are allowed to vote.

According to auDA, the last opportunity to get approved so you can vote is the board meeting of 12th June.

So you will need to have your applications and $22 fee in to auDA by no later than 4th June (to be on the safe side).

This is only a month away!

If you do it later than this, you will still be a member - but you won't be able to vote this year.

Here is the link to the form again: http://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-membership-form.pdf

It's not a lot of money, so if you want your voice heard, please just do it!

(If you have any queries, please PM or email me).
.

I wanted to bump this again!

If you're an existing auDA member, and you haven't paid your renewal fee, you have to pay it by this Thursday (31st).

If you don't, your membership will lapse - and you will not be able to vote.

If you're not an auDA member, can we please urge you to become one. It is only $22 - and a simple form to fill out. (I know you can't do it online yet, so just bear with their system for now).

Here is the link again: http://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auda-membership-form.pdf

The only way we can get changes is to have more and more domainers and domain owners to become members.

Thanks!
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Chris.C

Top Contributor
I wanted to bump this again!
I almost didn't read this thread because it had 200+ posts and I haven't kept up to date with it.

If you want people to take action it might be worth starting a new thread so people see it as something new they have to read.
 
+1

Voting at elections is important to bring about positive change, but also membership gives you the opportunity to be involved in auDA Panels and Working Groups. We need more people from our community to be involved and have our voices heard.
 

DomainNames

Top Contributor
I think you're better off always looking at ways of reducing cost, period. There are numerous ways this can be addressed at the board level, such as reducing auDA opex (the number of staff they have, auCD, the travel budget etc etc), the foundation tax, then past that, running a competitive tender for the registry, which didn't happen last time round, it just got 'extended' for another term, without a competitive process.

IMHO the auDA operating budget, should probably be around 2/3 of what it currently, but like most NFP's they have no problem spending money.

Another good post I agree with this part of it .

I do not see much improvement in auDA and their profit making and expenses , the long delayed competitive tender which has achieved a winning 60% lower price from Afilias should have been done better years ago perhaps as many have written about. Ten some Registrars, Resellers and even consumers may have seen some " innovation" and positive return on all of our money.
 

DomainNames

Top Contributor
I'd be interested to know the following:

a) Views on the current levels of expenditure within auDA, including the 'travel budget', staffing levels etc. Also the awarding (without tender) of outsourced contracts, for things like legal, accountancy etc as some of these (legal) are substantial lines in the budget.

b) Views on the push to require DNSSEC in the .au space

c) Views on maximum terms for directors on the board

d) Views on fixed term contracts for the CEO, with set performance indicators

e) Views on the creation and implementation of a domain industry ombudsman

f) Views on the auDA foundation

g) Views on the continuance of auCD in the absence of any remaining allocated funding from the geographic domain auctions

Obviously a lot of the specific domain policy type matters have generally already been raised and answered by candidates who have participated in the forum.

Some good points raised here we have not seem improvement on at all from auDA or their 'auDA Foundation" , tendering for expenses etc.
 

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