It's not just about transparency, which is important of course. But it's also about accountability of auDA and its Board to its stakeholders - international and national. Australian stakeholders include: members of auDA and non-members including end-users/registrants/holders of domain name licences, registrars, ACCC, ACMA, Minister for Communications, the Federal Government and its Cabinet and, ultimately, the Federal Parliament (House of Representative Members and Senators).
If there’s one thing fifty plus years of involvement and interest in public policy taught me, it is that accountability and transparency are fundamentally important for good governance; and, essential pre-conditions for stakeholder trust and confidence in public institutions. Failure to consistently meet high standards of governance, accountability and transparency to stakeholders, invites government intervention.
I have seen many examples of ministerial and government intervention to ensure high standards of governance, transparency and accountability to stakeholders. The iron fist of government in a velvet glove remarkably is effective, as is moral suasion. Moral suasion appears to have been relatively ineffective when it comes to auDA.
In my view the time has come for auDA - or another entity performing like functions - to be subject to a legislative framework that provides for more effective governance and greater accountability and transparency.
Ian Johnston
Observer of auDA (2000-2017). Member of auDA's Names Policy and Competition Model Advisory Panels (2000-2001).
Advocate for and consultant to national small business consumer and industry associations on telecommunications and ecommerce (1998-2006).
Policy advisor in Federal Departments and their Ministers, mainly Communications, Treasury, Finance and Defence (1962 to 1996).
