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id="docs-internal-guid-52c34d8f-c974-b3c4-0f93-e50537ca6ecc">
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Dear Linux Australia Community,</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">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 February 2016 to January 2017.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">All office bearer and ordinary committee member positions are open for election.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> * Nominations will open from 22 December 2015 until 10 January 2016</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> * Voting will open 11 January until 31 January 2016</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> * Results will be announced at the AGM in Geelong at </span><a
href="http://linux.conf.au/" style="text-decoration:none;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">linux.conf.au</span></a><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> on or after 01 February</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The election can be viewed here:</span></p>
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style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><a
href="https://linux.org.au/membership/index.php?page=view-election&id=22"
style="text-decoration:none;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.linux.org.au/membership/index.php?page=view-election&id=22">https://www.linux.org.au/membership/index.php?page=view-election&id=22</a></span></a></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">*What do I need to do?*</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">First of all, make sure your details are correct in MemberDB [2]</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">If you wish to nominate, identify the positions you wish to nominate for and get an understanding of what they involve. Think about what you might bring to the role and prepare a short pitch. Then, accept the</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">nomination you've been given by clicking the 'Accept nomination' link.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">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.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Once voting is open, you will be able to vote for candidates. Results will be announced at the AGM at </span><a
href="http://linux.conf.au/" style="text-decoration:none;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">linux.conf.au</span></a><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">*Why should I nominate?*</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">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</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">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 Linux and open source, it's a great opportunity to help drive and steer Australia's contribution in this field.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The roles do require a time commitment - a minimum of 2-3 hours per week for an Ordinary Council Member; for office bearers 8-12 hours per week - so please consider this with your nomination.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">*Why should I run?*</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">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.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[1]</span><a
href="http://www.linux.org.au/constitution"
style="text-decoration:none;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linux.org.au/constitution">http://www.linux.org.au/constitution</a></span></a></p>
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">[2]</span><a
href="http://www.linux.org.au/membership"
style="text-decoration:none;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linux.org.au/membership">http://www.linux.org.au/membership</a></span></a></p>
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">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 do make contact.</span></p>
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style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">With kind regards,</span></p>
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style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:12.666666666666666px;font-family:Arial;color:#222222;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Sae Ra</span></p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Sae Ra Germaine
Secretary
Linux Australia
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:secretary@linux.org.au">secretary@linux.org.au</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://linux.org.au">http://linux.org.au</a>
Linux Australia Inc
GPO Box 4788
Sydney NSW 2001
Australia
ABN 56 987 117 479</pre>
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