[Linux-aus] [LACTTE] Council meeting minutes 15/05/2008

[David Lloyd]

Stewart,

Stewart Smith wrote:
> On Mon, 2008-05-19 at 16:59 +1000, ajdlinux at gmail.com wrote:
>> On 5/19/08, Stewart Smith <stewart at linux.org.au> wrote:
>>> We'll be happy to answer specific queries but we just minute what we
>>> need to, which is mostly the final decisions; any specific points that
>>> need to be made (such as a dissenting view) we'll also make sure they're
>>> minuted.
>> Well, I'd like to know what the Australian Teacher advertising details
>> were. 'Package [1-4]' doesn't exactly explain, and a quick search of
>> my mail archives doesn't reveal anything.
> 
> Yep, it doesn't. Such information is commercial in-confidence between
> the LA board and Australian Teacher magazine. Disclosing such
> information in a public forum could be damaging to their ability to do
> business with people in the future. This is just the way it works to do
> business and get the best deals.

Local Government (and possibly the various Parliaments) typically have a 
  strict method to go "in confidence". I don't see a reason for Linux 
Australia to have such a complex policy as a Local Government Authority 
or Parliament, but might I suggest something along the lines of:

1. If the Council wishes to discuss a matter in confidence, then the
    Council shall propose a motion to do so and give a reason.

Typically you'd see something like:

"That Agenda Item 1.1, about David Lloyd's sanity be dealt with in 
confidence as it relates to an employee's personal situation".

This keeps things transparent and also leaves a record of WHY something 
isn't in the public minutes. An archivist from later on could mistakenly 
publicise what it is (in this case Package 1-4) if the context was not 
clear in the minutes.

DSL