Ian

Thanks for the opportunity to respond.  Look forward to seeing you at the
AGM next week.

Liz

  1.. What do you see as your key achievements as an auDA director, mainly
during last year or two as a director?
In my previous term as Director (2001-2002) and as Deputy Chair of the
Board, .auDA took many positive steps towards being an effective
self-regulatory agency.  I was involved particularly in registrar
accreditation processes, discussions about the tendering of the registry
function and a wide range of discussions including name registration policy
and dispute resolution mechanisms. Whilst the Board discussions are
confidential, I thought that my major conribution was in chairing the
mandatory Registrar Code of Practice Committee.  The disparate group, made
up of a range of representatives from very different organisations, was
tasked with developing a Code of Practice to which registrars and their
resellers would be bound under the conditions of their accreditation.  The
most difficult task was meshing competing objectives into a tolerable
self-regulatory mechanism that formed an integral part of the Registrar's
Accreditation documentation.

My experience as an .auDA Director took place in the context of significant
involvement in both the ICANN Registrar's Constituency and the ccTLD
Constituency.  I now serve on the ICANN President's Committee on Privacy and
maintain very strong academic connections with ICANN and its policy
development.

  1.. How do you see the DNS regime in Australia might be improved and over
what time frame?
I would like to see further discussion about the expansion of the domain
name space in Australia through the establishment of more second level
domains that reflect the interests and needs of the Australian Internet
community.  That should be an ongoing process rooted firmly in
considerations of .auDA's constitution, policy development processes which
are well advanced and in consultation with the broader end-user community.
  1.. What are you views on auDA corporate governance and risk management?
.auDA has obligations under the Corporations Law which are its first
legislative priority. In terms of risk management, risk needs to be clearly
identified (your question is very broad) and contingencies allowed for.
.auDA's healthy budget position, its stable management team, a stable Board
and a steady membership are all internal factors which limit risk and which
meet reasonable corporate governance standards.
  1.. What percentage of auDA Board meetings did you participate in during
your last term as a director?
I don't have that figure directly to hand.  I think I missed, perhaps, two
meetings in the two year term.  I attended, on behalf of the Board, the
Shanghai ICANN meetings and attended all the other Board meetings either in
person or by phone.
  1.. Do you support collective *and* individual performance evaluations of
auDA Directors by an independent entity?
This may be a useful exercise which needs careful consideration and
management.  One of the best measures of .auDA's success is the Board's
collective performance in managing a diverse range of issues.  The Board
members all give enormous amounts of volunteer time and resources.
Subjecting volunteer directors to additional scrutiny and individual
performance evaluations may well deter many from standing for Board
positions.  If the analysis were couched in terms of building Board director
skills (for example, in financial management or in audit skills or policy
development) it would be useful.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: Ian Johnston [mailto:ian.johnston§infobrokers.com.au]
  Sent: Friday, 21 November 2003 9:50 AM
  To: Josh Rowe; Liz Williams; Kim Davies
  Cc: DNS
  Subject: auDA AGM: Open email to auDA directors seeking election - demand
class


  Dear Liz, Kim and Josh

  There has been little recent discussion and questioning on the DNS List of
auDA Director's performance and their vision for auDA.

  I have observed and appreciated the collective performance of auDA
directors (some great outcomes), but have little knowledge about individual
performance.

  As a demand class member, in seeking to decide who to vote for earlier
this morning, I realised how little I knew about your performance and vision
as an auDA director.  100 word candidate statements are of limited value to
me in this regard.

  Accordingly, I would appreciate it if you were to *briefly* respond to the
following questions, preferably on the DNS list:

  1. What do you see as your key achievements as an auDA director, mainly
during last year or two as a director?

  2. How do you see the DNS regime in Australia might be improved and over
what time frame?

  3. What are you views on auDA corporate governance and risk management?

  4. What percentage of auDA Board meetings did you participate in during
your last term as a director?

  5. Do you support collective *and* individual performance evaluations of
auDA Directors by an independent entity?
  (For example, see the works of Lyn Ralph, Phil Khoury and Alan Cameron of
Cameron Ralph Pty Ltd <www.cameronralph.com.au>.)

  Your responses will be of assistance to me - and possibly others - in
casting votes.

  Regards

  Ian Johnston
  Australian Information Brokers