[Linux-aus] Notice of Linux Australia Special General Meeting to be held on 29/08/2011

[David Newall]

I'm glad to see the last motion.  It is new, and hadn't been previously 
discussed, other than that I alerted members to the problem.  What has 
been conspicuously absent is any direct and transparent response by the 
council.  Sure, such a change would be needed, but why has there been no 
explicit acknowledgement of the issue?  What other issues are there?  
Every time I've needed an example of something concerning with the 
proposed change I've found one, so I think prospects are good, if good 
is the right word, of finding more, should someone look.

I'm very disappointed that the council fail to address the fundamental 
issue of what is changing.

I protest against the SGM as announced.  I believe the motions in Agenda 
item five are fundamentally flawed and cannot properly be put.  No 
change to the constitution may be voted upon other than at a special 
general meeting, which requires advance notice of all motions including 
the specific wording for motions to be put.  The motion, "Apply changes 
to the constitution to bring the constitution in line with current 
practices," is meaningless; it could mean anything, and thus must mean 
nothing.  A properly formed motion says, for example, "clause x(y) is to 
be amended to, 'The financial year of the association is to begin on the 
first day of September each year'"; likewise, "All dollar amounts in 
clause c and d(e) are to be set at $0.00"  I warn that the last three 
motions cannot succeed due to deficient form, and that the council is 
leading us towards a SGM that changes our constitution to be exactly the 
current model, July to June Financial year and membership fees included.

I urge all members attending to vote no to all motions put at the 
special general meeting, if it goes ahead on August 29th.  Before a 
meeting can be called, the specific motions must be worded; the first 
motion in item five might stand, but probably not without also including 
a copy of the model constitution that the motion aims to adopt.  Every 
other change must be likewise detailed.

I also repeat my question to the council: What is wrong with simply 
amending the constitution, as it appeared on the web site, to add the 
financial year?