[Linux-aus] [Announce] Notice of Linux Australia 2024 Council Elections and AGM

[Sae Ra Germaine]

Hi Kathy,

Firstly thank you for asking these questions they are very important ones
to think of, especially for an organisation like Linux Australia. Please
note that these answers are from my point of view only and may not reflect
what stances other Council Members or what Linux Australia (Organisation)
may have.

I will echo some of Jonathan's answers in regards to pipeline this is not
an issue unique to LA. However, what is unique to LA is the connections
that the organisation has to a large number of the different types of
groups, events, communities that we (LA) have supported and/or auspiced in
the past. There are pools of people that we may be able to connect to, to
reduce the "load". I'm a person that strongly believes in partnerships and
reduction of duplication of activities, LA is partially about reducing the
administrative burden on organisations so they can focus on what they do
best. Linux Australia in the past has connected with key advocacy groups to
advocate for government changes and I would love to see this continue.

I was also amazed and excited by the number of new attendees (and
volunteers!) that came to Everything Open. The fact that 30% of attendees
had never been to a previous LCA was a great affirmation that the move to
an Everything Open model can help bring those who aren't specifically Linux
focussed into the fold. As a person that contributes to Open but not to
Linux, I have always struggled to get support from my employer to attend
the conference, but now I struggle less. We had volunteers who had never
heard about Linux Australia, LCA or Everything Open before put their hand
up to volunteer because they heard about the conference from our partner
organisations. The great thing is, they want to come back!

I want to share that magic that I felt all the way back in 2008 when Donna
got up on stage to host LCA Melbourne. That conference changed me to become
the person I am today. I wouldn't have put my hand up over and over again
for all these years if this community didn't have such a positive impact on
me or my career. I also want to be able to share my love for this community
with others but they were always in the "Open" space but not the "Linux"
space. We are making moves in the right direction.

I'm quite heartened by the number of folx that have put their hats in the
ring for a spot on the Council. COVID has drained many of us but I also see
a glimmer of hope of people stepping up again after a much needed rest. I
think LA needs to be better at expressing what type of help is needed but
it is a chicken or egg type of situation where we need to spend time to put
together a clear objective on what we need but we also have to spend time
"Doing all the things" at the same time.

With regards to your question regarding Hired help. I've always been in two
minds about this. On the one hand I would love to be able to see the
organisation be run as a not-for-profit organisation that does bigger
things like advocacy, professional development, and grants programs. But on
the other hand I think that would remove the "Grass-roots" nature and feel
of Linux Australia. We pride ourselves on grass roots and being less
corporate. I feel that if we go down the paid route we would lose that. We
would also need to look into different funding models (likely more
corporate ones) to be able to afford the <insert job title here> and all
the HR functions that come with hiring. This would likely also include
charging for membership and for this we would need to come up with a value
proposition, energy, and effort to be able to provide value and fight for a
slice of a member's income.

Just a quick jump back to partnerships though, one area I wouldn't object
to is seeing from our partners if there is an opportunity to share a paid
resource across the organisations such as a comms person. Comms is getting
more and more difficult with the disperse nature of where our community is
but maybe a comms person would be able to help gather a strategy and assist
with delivering it.

Lastly I wouldn't mind looking into having arrangements with law and
financial investment advice consultancies.  There have been a number of
issues that have come up over the years that I think LA could have
benefitted with some legal advice and with the significant financial
transactions that occur year to year for conferences, a better way to
invest for that rainy day.

Strategically I think we are heading in the right track. We spent the last
few years coping with COVID and that was not an easy feat. Many
organisations struggled, but we cut where we could, managed to get out the
other side of lockdowns and still managed to run a few face to face
conferences in the last year. We also spent the last few years reaching out
to the community through online conferences and making sure they had a
connection point to the community.

The next few years are crucial for sustainability. We need to continue on
from the success of Everything Open and build on that. Having said that, we
also need to take advantage of this new energy from people putting up their
hands and starting to look internally and plug some of the holes that may
have come up.

I would like to see our constitution refreshed to reflect the newer
organisations that we are. But that requires engagement from the community.

So my request to the community is: Please engage just a smidge more. Ask
the questions (constructively), contribute to providing answers, and if
Council puts forward changes to the constitution, please read them, suggest
feedback, and most of all vote. LA doesn't ask for much each year, they
keep the lights on so that our prized conferences keep running. But it's
hard to keep relevant if we can't get the votes to make changes.

Apologies for what has turned out to be a rather large email. But I hope
that this provides some answers as to why I've put my hat in the ring
again. Please do feel free to reach out and ask more questions if you have
any or would like to discuss any and all things LA

Lastly just wanted to declare where I have or am also involved:
- Currently the Deputy CEO and Manager, Member & Academic Services at CAVAL
- Ordinary Council Member of Linux Australia (until the AGM, who knows
after!)
- President of VALA (https://www.vala.org.au/)
- Co-Chair ofSession Selection Committee for Everything Open
- Member of the General Advisory Standing Committee for auDA (
https://www.auda.org.au/)
- Past Conference Core Team Organiser for LCA (2012, 2016, 2021,2022),
Everything Open 2023 and volunteer for many others.

Thanks,

Sae Ra

--
Sae Ra Germaine (pronounce <https://namedrop.io/saeragermaine>)
(She/Her)

On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 at 22:01, Kathy Reid via linux-aus <
linux-aus at lists.linux.org.au> wrote:

> Thanks Joel for the announcement.
>
> I'd love to hear from potential Council Members around some of the
> challenges I see for Linux Australia itself, and the community more
> broadly, for example some of the actions or programs that might be
> undertaken in 2024 to address them.
>
> ## Pipeline challenges
>
> Across the board with open* in Australia, we are observing pipeline
> challenges - that is, we seem to be lacking "the next generation" of
> open source advocates - those willing to donate their time, talent and
> treasure (ref: Tiffany Ferris) to advance the organisation's goals. This
> is evident in the number of people nominating for Council, the broader
> group of people willing to "pitch in" and provide help with all the
> things the organisation does [0], the pipelines for organising flagship
> events such as Everything Open and PyConAU etc.
>
> How do nominees intend to address the pipeline challenges, with specific
> reference to goals, activities or programs of work?
>
> ## Hired help
>
> For a long time (certainly since I was on Council in the mid-2010s)
> there has been debate around whether Linux Australia should hire help
> such as an Executive Officer role to "do more of the doing", while
> Council plays a (volunteer) governance role. Other organisations, such
> as Digital Rights Watch, and previously, Electronic Frontiers Australia,
> have adopted this model.
>
> Can Linux Australia afford to go down this path, and where do nominees'
> views sit on this question?
>
> (To be clear, I don't think LA can afford to financially, and it sets up
> a schism of labour in terms of paid vs volunteer, but very interested in
> the thoughts of others).
>
>
> ## Strategic direction
>
> Is Linux Australia on the right track? What strategic changes do you
> think are needed (if any)? How would you make these changes?
>
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Kathy Reid
>
>
> [0] https://youtu.be/ektSl_d0F6Q?si=4VuCLRl--ymy-ogk&t=311
>
>
>
>
> On 2023-12-24 22:15, Joel Addison wrote:
> > Dear Linux Australia Community,
> >
> > Pursuant to clause (15) of the Linux Australia constitution [1] we
> > hereby declare an election open and call for nominations to the Linux
> > Australia Council for the term January 2024 to January 2025.
> >
> > All office bearer and ordinary committee member positions are open for
> > Election.
> >
> > ## Key Information
> >
> >    * Nominations will open from 26 December 2023 and run until 11:59pm
> > 6 January 2024 (AEDT).
> >    * Voting will open at 01:01 AM 7 January 2024 (AEDT) and run until
> > 11:59pm 14 January 2024 (AEDT).
> >    * Results will be ratified during the AGM held at 2:30pm Saturday
> > 20 January 2024 (AEDT).
> >
> > To view and participate in the election please visit
> > https://www.linux.org.au/
> >    * Click on “Login” located on the top right hand side of the
> > page and log in.
> >    * Click on “Elections”.
> >    * Under “Linux Australia Council Election 2024”, click on
> > “View & Submit Nominations”.
> >
> > ## What do I need to do?
> >
> > First of all, make sure your details are correct at Linux
> > Australia’s
> > website [2]. If you need assistance accessing the membership portal
> > please contact secretary at linux.org.au. Note that in line with common
> > election conventions, new membership requests are not processed during
> > the election period.
> >
> > If you wish to nominate yourself, identify the positions you wish to
> > nominate for and get an understanding of what each position involves.
> > Think about what you might bring to the role and prepare a short
> > pitch.
> > Then, accept the nomination you've been given by clicking the 'Accept
> > nomination' link.
> >
> > Please note that all people elected to a position on the Council
> > must provide their current residential address, as per requirements
> > for NSW incorporated associations. They must also hold a Director
> > identification number (director ID) as per requirements of
> > organisations
> > with an Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN) [3].
> >
> > *You must accept your nomination to move to the next stage of the
> > election process*
> >
> > If you wish to nominate another person for a position, you may wish to
> > contact them first and have a chat to make sure they're happy being
> > nominated. Then follow the 'Nominate' link to nominate them.
> >
> > Once voting is open, you will be able to vote for candidates. Results
> > will be announced at the Linux Australia AGM to be held on 20 January
> > 2024.
> >
> > ## Why should I nominate?
> >
> > Being a member of Linux Australia Council is a fun way to meet new
> > people, work on exciting projects and expand your skill base. It gives
> > you excellent transferable skills to help build your career, and
> > allows
> > you to grow your professional network. It looks great on a CV, and is
> > also a chance to give back to the vibrant Linux and open source
> > ecosystem in Australia and globally. If you're passionate about open
> > technologies and the communities that surround them, it's a great
> > opportunity to help drive and steer Australia's contribution in this
> > field.
> >
> > ## What is the commitment required?
> >
> > If you are contemplating nominating for a role on Council, in addition
> > to referring to the Position Descriptions provided [4], you are
> > strongly
> > encouraged to approach current and former council members for their
> > perspective.  You will find them, to a person, willing to discuss the
> > roles and responsibilities in a more informal manner.
> >
> > The roles do require a time commitment.
> > * Ordinary Council Member: a minimum of 2-3 hours per week.
> > * Office bearers: 8-12 hours per week.
> > Please allow for this when considering your nomination.
> >
> > ## Why should I run?
> >
> > If you’ve been nominated, or are thinking of nominating yourself,
> > you
> > should give the opportunity serious consideration. Being on the
> > council
> > is both hard and often thankless work, but it is also incredibly
> > rewarding. Linux Australia can only achieve what it does by its
> > members
> > and helping out with the council responsibilities is a great way to
> > ensure Linux Australia continues to be successful. It is also an
> > opportunity to help the organisation grow, reach into new areas and to
> > succeed on important topics of national relevance.
> >
> > As always, your feedback and questions are warmly welcomed. If you'd
> > like to have a chat with anyone on Council around what it involves,
> > please reach out.
> >
> > Kind regards,
> >
> > Joel Addison
> > President
> > Linux Australia
> >
> > [1] http://www.linux.org.au/constitution
> > [2] http://www.linux.org.au/membership
> > [3] https://www.abrs.gov.au/director-identification-number
> > [4] https://github.com/linuxaustralia/position-descriptions
> > _______________________________________________
> > announce mailing list
> > announce at lists.linux.org.au
> > http://lists.linux.org.au/mailman/listinfo/announce
> _______________________________________________
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