>> But the public are yet to be directly invited to the (Closed door meetings)
>> of ADNA.
>
>To be fair here, ADNA has consistently invited observers from ISOC-AU,
>ACCC, AVCC and other interested groups to board meetings.  It's not
>usual for the general public to attend board meetings for most
>organisations.

Except where the organisation implies it's a Public Process.  In which case
it's generally OPEN to the Public at all times.

A NON public process or a section of a meeting where personal details (such
as legal, medical or financial) are to be discussed by the board, only the
person involved is allowed to be present and the public section of the
meeting closed and the public asked to be removed from the premises.

The Board can then after that section is delt with open to the public again.

Fairly simple.

Done it for over 10 years.

>> I agree it would be great to have ICOC-AU involved how can this best be
>> achieved?
>
>We see here the problem of people coming into debates with
>loudly-expressed opinions when they don't know anything about the
>history of the situation.

So let them speak the opinion.  Then let them listen to the next persons
opnion.  Fairly simple.

When a local council wishes to raise rates by 11% I can assure you there
are those for it and those against.  You can't just ignore half the people.

>ISOC-AU worked with ADNA between August and December last year.  We
>wrote three substantial submissions on proposed changes to the M&A,
>which initially were cooperatively received.  We were willing to work
>on them further, to take input from ADNA and modify them until they
>were acceptable to both organisations.

Sounds good.

>ADNA, for reasons that they have not made clear publically, stopped
>talking to ISOC-AU in December 1997, and despite a formal request from
>the ISOC-AU board in February that they recommence communication, have 
>not responded.

Sounds like ISOC-AU wanted more input than ADNA was prepared to release,
remembing that ADNA is mostly (? Entierly) made up of parties interested in
profiting from the sale of domain names, where as ISOC-AU doesn't sell
domain names.

>I'm not sure what else ISOC-AU can do.  If we can get a neutral third
>party to bring everyone together to sort out these problems then
>ISOC-AU will be very happy to be involved.

[waves hand]

Perhaps AIUA can help here.  More on this shortly, it's not ready for
annoucements - yet, just keep it in mind.

At minimum I consider myself very neutral in the .AU debate because I don't
intend selling .AU domain names, and my position in the industry is far
above that of just .AU DNS matters.  Having spent over 2 years working at
the International Level I can as a mediate act in knowledge of both
Commercial and Public interests and leave my personal interests aside.  As
a mediate I have no decision basis within the process, only that of a
mediate to ensure that the parties concerned progress forward in some manner.

Well I offered.  I can't do more than that.