RSSBoard Communique Following Special General Meeting
The Board of auDA sincerely thanks all members who attended the Special General Meeting on Monday, and shared their thoughts, feedback and advice on how we can better meet the expectations of members.
The meeting provided a forum for frank discussion on many issues and will help auDA to reset its course and restore membership and stakeholder support. The board certainly appreciated the full and frank nature of the discussion.
At a meeting yesterday, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to listening to all stakeholders and using a consultative process to inform and engage members regarding important changes, including the member Code of Conduct and any future change to auDA’s branding.
To demonstrate that commitment, the Board revisited key matters raised by members at the SGM, which are outlined below:
Publishing of Board Minutes: Given the strength of feeling among members about publishing minutes, agendas and reports on the website, and the shared understanding that commercial-in-confidence and security-related information will be removed, the Board has decided to reinstate this practice. The expanded monthly newsletter will also continue and the board will seek member input on other methods of engagement, including those discussed at the SGM.
Member Code of Conduct: The meeting included a valuable discussion on the Code of Conduct. Members who spoke on this issue expressed their support for a member Code of Conduct, but felt it should be developed in partnership with members. The Board accepts this position and has revoked the current Code of Conduct. A membership consultation process on a new Code of Conduct will be held, and a revised Code will be submitted to the 2017 AGM. A Code of Conduct for Board members will be developed as part of the next phase of governance work and members will have the opportunity to provide input prior to any final decisions.
Rebranding: The Board put on hold any branding changes at auDA until member and stakeholder feedback is sought and considered. A Board resolution to change auDA’s brand to auHQ will be put to members for their input.
Appointment of Independent Directors and Chair: The Board established a recruitment subcommittee of Tim Connell, Sandra Hook, Leonie Walsh, and Erhan Karabardak to manage the process and conduct interviews for the recruitment of an independent director and chair. The Board will go to market to select an executive recruitment firm, in accordance with procurement processes.
More detail on the initiatives above will be shared through the monthly newsletter.
The Board reiterates its support for the work of CEO Cameron Boardman, which has strengthened auDA’s internal processes and procedures, and importantly increased the security of the DNS. The Board and CEO look forward to genuine engagement with members as we refine governance, policy and strategy in the months ahead.
In closing, it is clear that the auDA Board and members have a shared view on the importance of the .au domain to Australia’s public, organisations and its international trading reputation. We have an important period ahead of us to build the relevance of brand .au as well as continuing to protect the .au space in an era of untold cyber threat, so that .au remains one of the most secure and respected in the world.
The Board is committed to building a more constructive and aligned relationship with members in order to achieve this critical mission.
Yours sincerely,
The auDA Board
- The complete recording of the Special General Meeting is available at https://youtu.be/7qViIrlTMIU
- The slides from the CEO's presentation are available to download in PDF format here.