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<p><br>
</p>
<p>To be honest, even if LA could afford to pay an entire suite of
staff, if it lacked the open* movers and shakers, it wouldn't
really be the Linux Australia that at least I knew or thought it
was/is.<br>
</p>
<p>A staff could certainly help prevent burnout -- IMHO the AUUG
lasted as long as it did because it had a paid staff member so the
volunteer board didn't burn out <i>as fast</i>, but it did lose
the grass roots members who, incidentally, all went to L.A. which
had more life at the time, and obviously still does.</p>
<p>I would also comment that I don't think the lack of participation
in L.A. is just open* specific; although I now have a U.S. context
(I'm essentially an ex-pat Aussie in NYS, USA), all the
organisations that need a pipeline of next generation advocates,
be they pet advocacy groups, Churches, service groups (think
Rotary/Lions, even Scouts), are having a hard time finding it and
we're all growing older!</p>
<p><i>That's not to say L.A. </i>should do nothing about it - I
just say that because I don't think L.A.'s situation is because of
a lack of desire, will, earnest, and well-deserved effort. I think
there's something else going on :(</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>DSL<br>
</p>
<p></p>
<p>[1] Incidentally, a remnant of the AUUG still meets in South
Australia...but I digress...<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 1/3/2024 6:01 AM, Kathy Reid via
linux-aus wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:8e8a333c1da9c8597f7691e1a0f5b32f@kathyreid.id.au">Thanks
Joel for the announcement.
<br>
<br>
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.
<br>
<br>
## Pipeline challenges
<br>
<br>
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.
<br>
<br>
How do nominees intend to address the pipeline challenges, with
specific reference to goals, activities or programs of work?
<br>
<br>
## Hired help
<br>
<br>
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.
<br>
<br>
Can Linux Australia afford to go down this path, and where do
nominees' views sit on this question?
<br>
<br>
(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).
<br>
<br>
<br>
## Strategic direction
<br>
<br>
Is Linux Australia on the right track? What strategic changes do
you think are needed (if any)? How would you make these changes?
<br>
<br>
<br>
Kind regards,
<br>
<br>
Kathy Reid
<br>
<br>
<br>
[0] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://youtu.be/ektSl_d0F6Q?si=4VuCLRl--ymy-ogk&t=311">https://youtu.be/ektSl_d0F6Q?si=4VuCLRl--ymy-ogk&t=311</a>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 2023-12-24 22:15, Joel Addison wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Dear Linux Australia Community,
<br>
<br>
Pursuant to clause (15) of the Linux Australia constitution [1]
we
<br>
hereby declare an election open and call for nominations to the
Linux
<br>
Australia Council for the term January 2024 to January 2025.
<br>
<br>
All office bearer and ordinary committee member positions are
open for
<br>
Election.
<br>
<br>
## Key Information
<br>
<br>
* Nominations will open from 26 December 2023 and run until
11:59pm
<br>
6 January 2024 (AEDT).
<br>
* Voting will open at 01:01 AM 7 January 2024 (AEDT) and run
until
<br>
11:59pm 14 January 2024 (AEDT).
<br>
* Results will be ratified during the AGM held at 2:30pm
Saturday
<br>
20 January 2024 (AEDT).
<br>
<br>
To view and participate in the election please visit
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.linux.org.au/">https://www.linux.org.au/</a>
<br>
* Click on “Login” located on the top right hand side of the
<br>
page and log in.
<br>
* Click on “Elections”.
<br>
* Under “Linux Australia Council Election 2024”, click on
<br>
“View & Submit Nominations”.
<br>
<br>
## What do I need to do?
<br>
<br>
First of all, make sure your details are correct at Linux
<br>
Australia’s
<br>
website [2]. If you need assistance accessing the membership
portal
<br>
please contact <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:secretary@linux.org.au">secretary@linux.org.au</a>. Note that in line with
common
<br>
election conventions, new membership requests are not processed
during
<br>
the election period.
<br>
<br>
If you wish to nominate yourself, identify the positions you
wish to
<br>
nominate for and get an understanding of what each position
involves.
<br>
Think about what you might bring to the role and prepare a short
<br>
pitch.
<br>
Then, accept the nomination you've been given by clicking the
'Accept
<br>
nomination' link.
<br>
<br>
Please note that all people elected to a position on the Council
<br>
must provide their current residential address, as per
requirements
<br>
for NSW incorporated associations. They must also hold a
Director
<br>
identification number (director ID) as per requirements of
<br>
organisations
<br>
with an Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN) [3].
<br>
<br>
*You must accept your nomination to move to the next stage of
the
<br>
election process*
<br>
<br>
If you wish to nominate another person for a position, you may
wish to
<br>
contact them first and have a chat to make sure they're happy
being
<br>
nominated. Then follow the 'Nominate' link to nominate them.
<br>
<br>
Once voting is open, you will be able to vote for candidates.
Results
<br>
will be announced at the Linux Australia AGM to be held on 20
January
<br>
2024.
<br>
<br>
## Why should I nominate?
<br>
<br>
Being a member of Linux Australia Council is a fun way to meet
new
<br>
people, work on exciting projects and expand your skill base. It
gives
<br>
you excellent transferable skills to help build your career, and
<br>
allows
<br>
you to grow your professional network. It looks great on a CV,
and is
<br>
also a chance to give back to the vibrant Linux and open source
<br>
ecosystem in Australia and globally. If you're passionate about
open
<br>
technologies and the communities that surround them, it's a
great
<br>
opportunity to help drive and steer Australia's contribution in
this
<br>
field.
<br>
<br>
## What is the commitment required?
<br>
<br>
If you are contemplating nominating for a role on Council, in
addition
<br>
to referring to the Position Descriptions provided [4], you are
<br>
strongly
<br>
encouraged to approach current and former council members for
their
<br>
perspective. You will find them, to a person, willing to
discuss the
<br>
roles and responsibilities in a more informal manner.
<br>
<br>
The roles do require a time commitment.
<br>
* Ordinary Council Member: a minimum of 2-3 hours per week.
<br>
* Office bearers: 8-12 hours per week.
<br>
Please allow for this when considering your nomination.
<br>
<br>
## Why should I run?
<br>
<br>
If you’ve been nominated, or are thinking of nominating
yourself,
<br>
you
<br>
should give the opportunity serious consideration. Being on the
<br>
council
<br>
is both hard and often thankless work, but it is also incredibly
<br>
rewarding. Linux Australia can only achieve what it does by its
<br>
members
<br>
and helping out with the council responsibilities is a great way
to
<br>
ensure Linux Australia continues to be successful. It is also an
<br>
opportunity to help the organisation grow, reach into new areas
and to
<br>
succeed on important topics of national relevance.
<br>
<br>
As always, your feedback and questions are warmly welcomed. If
you'd
<br>
like to have a chat with anyone on Council around what it
involves,
<br>
please reach out.
<br>
<br>
Kind regards,
<br>
<br>
Joel Addison
<br>
President
<br>
Linux Australia
<br>
<br>
[1] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linux.org.au/constitution">http://www.linux.org.au/constitution</a>
<br>
[2] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linux.org.au/membership">http://www.linux.org.au/membership</a>
<br>
[3] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.abrs.gov.au/director-identification-number">https://www.abrs.gov.au/director-identification-number</a>
<br>
[4] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://github.com/linuxaustralia/position-descriptions">https://github.com/linuxaustralia/position-descriptions</a>
<br>
_______________________________________________
<br>
announce mailing list
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:announce@lists.linux.org.au">announce@lists.linux.org.au</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.linux.org.au/mailman/listinfo/announce">http://lists.linux.org.au/mailman/listinfo/announce</a>
<br>
</blockquote>
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<br>
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<br>
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