23 February 2015 Board Minutes

Public Version

Meeting of the .au Domain Administration Board

23 February 2015 – 11.00am

auDA, 114 Cardigan Street, Carlton

Present:

Tony Staley (Chair), Chris Disspain, Erhan Karabardak, George Pongas, Graham McDonald, Joe Manariti, Josh Rowe, Julie Hammer, Kartic Srinivasan, Paul Levins, Simon Johnson, Stuart Benjamin

Observers:

Derek Whitehead (Item 1), John Higgins (Nexia Australia, Items 1-5), Peter Nettlefold (DoC), Naomi Tandy (DoC), Maggie Whitnall (Item 6), Jo Lim (auDA), Jacki O’Sullivan (auDA–Minutes)

Apologies:

Nil

1.    Continuous Disclosure

• Erhan Karabardak disclosed that his family trust owns shares in Domo Digital Pty Ltd which has recently become a domain name reseller including for .au.  He advised his wife is the Director of this company whilst he is involved in the operation of the reseller business and the domain name after market.

2.    Confirmation of December 2014 Minutes

It was noted that the minutes of the 16 December 2014 Board meeting were currently still open and would now be finalised.

3.    2015 Names Policy Panel

• Derek Whitehead advised that the first panel meeting had been held on 5 February 2014 at which previous panel findings were reviewed, and preliminary issues raised.  The focus of the next meeting will be on the leading issue of direct registrations.  An issues paper will be compiled for public consultation.
• The Chair reiterated that Board members on the panel should be mindful of their position and not be seen to be influencing discussions in any particular way.

4.    Finance

• The Board noted the January 2015 accounts.
• The Board was advised that auDA's investment strategy will be reviewed by the Committee and a recommendation would be provided to the April 2015 Board meeting.
• It was noted preparations for the 2015-16 budget had commenced and a draft would be provided to the Board at the April 2015 Board meeting.

5.    CEO Report

• The CEO report was noted.
• The CEO provided a summary overview of the IANA Stewardship transition and auDA's involvement.
• P Nettlefold advised that he would consult agencies on the Government review of Cybersecurity and provide an update in due course.

6.    AusRegistry Presentation

• Maggie Whitnall-Client Services Manager .au, attended from AusRegistry and gave a presentation on the age of .au domains (follow up from AusRegistry's presentation in December), information on 'Behind the dot – state of the .au domain', the 2015 .au Survey and a summary of current activities.

7.    2015-18 Strategic Plan

• The Board approved the circulated 2015-18 Strategic Plan.
• The CEO advised that auDA staff would be attending their annual retreat on 5-6 March which would include review and update of the Operational Plan.

8.  Board Committee Updates

Finance & Audit Committee:

• The Chair advised the Committee had met on 18 February 2015 and minutes would be circulated in due course.
• The Committee agreed that the current investment portfolio would be reviewed by Neal Dunne, Nexia and the current NAB accounts would be reviewed by the CEO.  Recommendations would be provided to the Committee in March with any formal recommendations to be presented to the Board at the April 2015 meeting.
• The Committee agreed the CEO would formally write to the landlord regarding interest in purchasing the Cardigan Street office.

Governance, Board Succession & Remuneration Committee:

• The Chair advised the Committee had met on 19 February 2014 and minutes would be circulated in due course.
• The Board agreed that the Board performance assessment review would be conducted by Stuart Benjamin, Graham McDonald and Jo Lim, reporting through the Governance Committee.

Strategic Risk Committee:

• The Chair advised the Committee was due to meet on 23 February 2015 and an update would be provided at the April 2015 Board meeting.

9.    Membership

The following membership applications were approved in the classes indicated.

10.  Board Correspondence

There was no Board correspondence.

11.  Other Business

There was no other business.

12.  Next Meeting

The next Board meeting will be held on Monday 20 April 2015.