[LINK] Launch of Parliamentary Friends of the Internet - Terri Butler MP, Labor for Griffith

[Roger Clarke]

At 9:21 +1000 23/9/15, Jan Whitaker wrote:
>http://www.terributlermp.com/launch_of_parliamentary_friends_of_the_internet
>I picked this up on Twitter. Has anyone on Link heard of this new group?
>
>Why do we need another one? 
>ISOC
>EFA
>ACCAN

A 'Parliamentary Friends of ...' group is inside the Parliament, whereas Internet Australia (note new branding) is outside, representing the interests of Internet users of all kinds.

The parties pretend that the cudgels are left outside the door when entering meetings of Friends groups.  And it's probably true that the atmosphere is less poisonous than the chambers or even the corridors.  Nothing gets decided of course, but outsiders are invited to inject ideas, and those and other thoughts can be aired and kicked around.


>According to wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Patton
>this is a new name for ISOC???

Internet Society of Australia remains the formal name of the organisation, but the abbrev ISOC-AU has been jettisoned in favour of Internet Australia (and IA if people use it).  And the primary domain-name is now internet.org.au rather than isoc-au.org.au.

For almost 20 years, ISOC-AU had a working Board and (a lot of the time, but not post-GFC) with an Exec Director - Tony Hill, Kate Lance, Holly Raiche.

Internet Australia has now switched from a working Board to a conventional, corporate governance Board with an all-powerful CEO.

Laurie was appointed as CEO at the end of 2014, and has been very dynamic, driving a lot of activities, primarily focussed on 'halls of power' and getting Internet Australia into them.  The Parliamentary Friends is one such.

A new ISP SIG has been a vehicle whereby Internet Australia has drawn / forced / sucked AGD into discussions about how to interpret the data retention legislation in such a way that ISPs will be able to avoid being subjected to bullying by AGD.

We all know that the legislation is a complete train-wreck, but the fact is that ISPs will become liable to serious enforcement powers if they don't somehow comply with the uncompliable.  By being drawn into a forum where detailed debate occurs, AGD are being forced to begin gaining some understanding some of the problems they've created.

IA generally sits on the 'polite' end of the public interest spectrum, with the expectation that the likes of EFA and APF plus ad hoc groups will provide more pepper on specific issues.

[Declarations:
(1)  I've been a Director of IA for the last 5 years, and Secretary for the last 3 years, but am leaving the Board at the AGM in 10 days' time
(2)  The above is emphatically *not* an official statement by IA, but merely a quick update from someone who's been in the thick of the changes of the last year or so.
(3)  I've copied this to the IA Board, so that any heresies can be corrected.]

[BTW, Jon Lawrence, in addition to being ED of EFA, is a Director of IA.  We've achieved constructive interleaving among IA, EFA, ACCAN and APF Boards during the last few years.]


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			             
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Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University