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

Mon Jan 8 01:05:08 AEDT 2024

Hi Kathy,
  Thanks for the questions, I feel you have some similar concerns to me about the future for Linux Australia (LA). I'll address each point separately:

PIPELINE CHALLENGES:
I think the LA council needs to spend more effort on fostering newer and younger members into being involved in LA and the conferences/subcommittees it sponsors. One of the ways I believe this can be encouraged is for the council to communicate in greater frequency and volume with the membership and to more actively encourage participation. This is the reason why I've emitted unsolicited reminders into the lists about LA council nominations and elections for the past couple of years. While I'm sure that every council has only ever acted in the best interests of the membership, long periods of radio silence in the past have caused frustration amongst the membership from time to time. I'd like to have the council give more regular updates about what's being worked-on, what's coming up and what's happening now.

I'd also like to see something like an outreach program (for school, university and businesses), but I must admit that I don't have any professional experience in this space. I'd hope that I could support someone more focused in this area.

HIRED HELP
I've occasionally wondered about having something like this. When I was a member of AUUG, Liz Egan did a great job as the group's (paid) business manager. Unfortunately every now and then there were complaints along the lines that "this was a waste of membership fees" or similar. I'm not sure that LA would be able to support a paid position (something like taking over the council secretary role) without introducing a membership fee to cover it. I think it would take quite some time to consult/interact with LA's membership about whether we could do this and how it could be done. That's not to say it shouldn't be considered, just that I wouldn't want it slammed-down as a single all-or-nothing voting item at an AGM. This sort-of ties-in with that "more communication" thing I raised in the first point: open a dialogue with the membership about the details and concerns with it.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION
I'll point back to the "be more communicative with the membership" thing again as one strategic improvement.
Other than that, one of the quandaries about "Linux Australia" is the "Linux" part. The Linux kernel is still great, but it's no-longer the up-and-coming technology that spawned CALU and LCA in the past. Linux is ubiquitous nowadays (e.g. my computer, phone, printer, router, TV and solar battery all run some kind of Linux kernel - and probably many other devices in the house). I still think things like the kernel miniconf at LCA are valuable parts of the conferences, but LA does so much more than "just" Linux any more (e.g. grants and other conferences like Pycon, Drupal, Wordpress etc). I think LA should further seek to host more "generic open source" software and technology conferences.

Anyway, I think I've waffled enough. Off the to polls with you!

Thanks again,

M0les.

On Wed, 3 Jan 2024, at 22:01, Kathy Reid via linux-aus 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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