Hugh Irvine, Director of Strategic Planning, connect.com.au pty. ltd.
It has become increasingly clear over the last several months that there is a very real need in this country for a body that concerns itself with Internet issues, for and on behalf of the people who actually use the Internet on a regular basis.
In response to this need, I have taken some initial steps to create a framework for an organisation that I feel will be representative of the broader Internet community in Australia. This organisation is called the 'Internet Society of Australia' and I have prepared a draft of some of the things that I feel should form part of the incorporation of such a body. These documents are on a web site at http://www.isoc-au.org.au and I invite comments and discussion on the contents.
The current proposal for the 'Internet Society of Australia' is as a company limited by guarantee and operating as a not for profit organisation and benefitting from an Australian Securities Commission Section 383 License governing same.
I will be attending the Internet Society meeting in Montreal (INET'96) later this month and I will be discussing whether or not this organisation should be a chapter of ISOC. In my personal view, ISOC-AU should not be a chapter of ISOC, and I shall be putting forward the idea that there should be a new form of relationship more along the lines of associated entities. The reason that I feel this way is simply because we are not part of America and we have our own national concerns to contend with first and foremost and I don't think that chapter status of an overseas organisation is approprate in this context. Other views on this subject are welcome.
My intention in taking these first steps in the creation of ISOC-AU are simply to put in place a structure that everyone can participate in. You will notice that there are no proposals as to who should be named as directors or as founding members. It is my intention that ISOC-AU be representative of the Internet community in Australia and as such, proposals regarding the articles and memorandum of association, as well as nominations for directors, etc. are eagerly sought. Notice that the organisation as such does not yet exist, the name 'Internet Society of Australia' has been reserved and some legalese boilerplate has been put together, but the actual creation of the entity is very much in the hands of the Internet community at large. If people feel that this is a good thing, and that they want to be involved, then now is the time to make something happen.
It will come as no surprise that I have already sought comments from people whose opinions I value, and that the response thus far has been overwhelmingly favourable. I trust that this initiative will be regarded in the spirit that it is proposed, as a framework for an effective group working in the interests of the wider Internet community.
Regards,
Hugh Irvine