Nice try Kim, but the derivation of authority you are quoting here is
quite weak when push comes to shove in terms of the so called
expression of national interest.

While the Internet space remained an essentially private or perhaps
semi-public exercise you may well have been able to make that point stick.
However if you accept that the Internet is a public communications
utility the inference is that the administrative infrastructure
associated with the utility falls within the purview of national
governance in terms of ensuring the expression of the public interest.

Thus although I would not phrase it the same way as Skeeve has, his bottom
line is probably not far from themark as a last resort.

  Geoff Huston


>From owner-dns§magna.com.au  Fri Jan 24 00:49:26 1997
>To: dns§intiaa.asn.au
>Subject: Re: DNS: Domain Names - the problems with the present australian authority 
>Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:42:57 +0800
>From: Kim Davies <kim&#167;gospel.iinet.net.au>
>
>Quoting Skeeve Stevens:
>|  
>| Robert Elz is an Australian Citizen, and is bound by all Australian laws.
>| 
>| The ABA or whoever (i cant be bothered looking it up at the moment) who made
>| the decision has the legal power to do it..... Robert Elz doesnt enter into
>| the equation, and they can FORCE him to give the 'authority' control of .AU
>
>Ahem... When did these magical laws get enacted that say the Australian
>Government has control over who US bodies delegate domain name space to?
>
>According to InterNIC, which isn't run by the ABA last time I checked:
>
>Australia top-level domain (AU-DOM)
>   Australian Research Network
>   Computer Science
>   University of Melbourne
>   Parkville, Victoria 3052
>   AUSTRALIA
>
>   Domain Name: AU
>
>   Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
>      Elz, Robert  (RE18)  kre&#167;MUNNARI.OZ.AU
>      +61 3 287 9110
>
>   Record last updated on 21-Jan-97.
>   Record created on 05-Mar-86.
>
>kim
>--
>% kim davies <kim&#167;iinet.net.au> tel: (09) 322 7770 fax: (09) 322 6660
>  iiNet Technologies, QV.1 Building, 250 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000
>  url = http://www.cynosure.com.au/~kim/
>
>