Board Minutes - 10 April 2006
Public Version
Meeting of the .au Domain Administration Board
10 April 2006 - 1.00pm
Maddocks. Level 7, 140 William Street. Melbourne VIC 3000
Present:
Greg Crew, Roger Dean, Chris Disspain, Brett Fenton, David Goldstein, Kim Heitman, Jo Lim, Bennett Oprysa and Tony Staley
Teleconference:
Cheryl Langdon-Orr
Observers:
Andrew Maurer (DCITA) and John Higgins (Hayes Knight)
Apologies:
Josh Rowe, Peter Shilling and Greg Watson
1. Continuous Disclosure
There were no matters to be disclosed.
2. Confirmation of Minutes
The minutes of the February 2006 meeting were confirmed.
3. Finance Report
The board noted the accounts.
CD advised that the 2006/07 budget will be ready for board consideration at the June meeting, including a possible reduction in auDA’s domain name fee.
4. CEO Report
The following issues were noted:
ICANN Wellington
The meeting was attended by auDA staff and directors. CLO congratulated CD for giving auDA a recognisable and respected presence, and noted that auDA brings valuable experience to ICANN especially in relation to facilitating stakeholder participation.
Education and media campaign
The advertising campaign commenced in March and will continue through to May. The new website was launched on 24 March.
Community geographic names
auCD has been incorporated and the first board meeting is on 24 April. TS has invited Senator Coonan to attend the official launch later this year.
5. Policy Development
Domain monetisation public consultation
auDA has released an issues paper for public consultation. The issue is not whether domain monetisation is good or bad, it is whether or not domain monetisation should be included within the interpretation of the close and substantial connection rule. As such, it is a matter of policy clarification rather than new policy.
Action: auDA staff to prepare a report on the outcomes of the public consultation, for consideration by the board at the June meeting.
auDRP
The auDRP is scheduled to be reviewed later this year. Feedback from registrars is that some people find the $1,500 fee too high. The board noted that lowering or removing the fee may lead to an increase in frivolous or vexatious complaints.
6. Constitution Review Committee Report
KH presented the committee’s findings and recommendations to the board:
Objects: The Objects clause should be amended to ensure that auDA has sufficient jurisdiction to regulate the industry effectively, and to give auDA better flexibility to distribute surplus funds within the Internet sector.
Membership classes and board representation: The representative association class should be merged with demand class; the representative association board seats should be distributed one each to supply and demand classes and one reserved for a possible third independent director; the prohibition on paying fees to elected directors should be removed.
Advisory Panels: no change to the Constitution is required, however the board should abolish the internal rule against directors serving on panels.
The committee also suggested that electronic voting by members at AGMs should be permitted. The board agreed that auDA should have the capacity to utilise electronic voting technology if and when a suitable method becomes available.
In order for changes to board representation to come into effect at this year’s AGM, it is proposed to hold an EGM in conjunction with the August board meeting.
Action: The committee to circulate the proposed amendments and explanatory memorandum, for consideration by the board at the June meeting.
7. auDA Foundation
The Foundation will issue its first call for submissions by the end of April.
8. Membership Applications
The members below were accepted in the classes indicated:
David Katiforis (Demand)
9. Board Correspondence
No correspondence was received.
10. Other Business
DCITA review of .au self-regulatory system
AM drew the board’s attention to the recent report of the Banks Taskforce on reducing business regulation, which recommends that the Government consider conducting a review of com.au administration. AM advised that DCITA intends to conduct a review of the .au self-regulatory system later this year, marking 5 years since auDA assumed management.
IPv6
Following the forum organised by ISOC-AU last year, auDA and ISOC-AU are planning to set up an IPv6 working group.
Council of Country Code Administrators (COCCA)
DG advised that he met with Garth Miller of COCCA, who agreed that it would be appropriate for liaison between auDA and COCCA to occur at a staff level. The board suggested that COCCA could be invited to participate in auDA policy development processes.
11. Next Meeting
The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 June at 10.30am, at the Maddocks office in Sydney.