May 1 1999 Nat Minutes
ate Saturday May 1st
Location Mephan St, Footscray
Time 2pm
Agenda - Introduction of New members - project briefing (Please bring membership fees if not paid)
- Confirm minutes of previous meeting
- Reports: Leadtec support, Clayton Utz (legals), Recruit.net, Skills.net
- Explanation of Eligibility criteria - Point Assessment system and application procedure
- Election of additional Technical Officer
- Training issues
- Volunteering issues
- Additional items / Other business
Minutes
Present: Kylie Davies, Daniel Morriss, Rodney
Brown, Peter Eckersley, Bill McPherson, Crucis Jimenez, Patricia
Fraser, Sam Reid. Apologies: none submitted
Kylie introduced Crucis Jimenez, a new member as of today!
Rodney Brown proposed that the minutes of the previous meeting were accepted. Seconded Daniel Morris, carried.
Business arising from the previous minutes: Daniel asked whether we had been in contact with NOIE (National Office of Information Economy) since the previous contact? Kylie reported no, since we didn't have everything ready for a grant application yet - in particular, our incorporation isn't complete.
Rodney asked for an expansion of NOIE (given above) and asked that, when these organisations are mentioned, that we give a URL if possible so that members can find out more on their own. (NOIE: http://www.noie.gov.au)
Bill asked for more information about the discussion regarding premises that was held during the previous meeting. Kylie said that Multimedia Victoria may give us access to rent-free premises once we are incorporated; Mephan Street is sure for only 6 months, and we may grow out of the allocated space. Incorporation should take another 8 weeks from today; 21 days until the next meeting to discuss and ratify the constitution (new since visit to Clayton Utz) and a backlog of around 1 month at Business Affairs.
Report on the visit to Leadtech: Kylie and Bill attended, Patricia arrived very late. Services offered by Leadtech include printing of around 1000 brochures; technical services from their tech person Boris; potentially some storage; potentially some use of their internet bandwidth, due to be upgraded in the near term. They are planning to mail 2000 customers in the next couple of months, regarding hardware upgrades to do with Y2K compatibility. They will suggest in this mailout that superceded hardware is donated to CBV, and they may be able to collect and store the hardware donated through this initiative, and even offer us some workshop space. First service we will take up will be the brochure printing; PF to email the brochure file to Kel Needham at LT and arrange to pick up brochures prior to next meeting for members to take out and spread around.
Regarding the offer of bandwidth from Leadtech, the meeting agreed that the Technical Co-ordinator should examine the offer (an any such offers) and work out what we can or should accept, and perhaps arrange a meeting with Leadtech to discuss the offer.
Sam will also source cheap Internet options. Kylie enumerated the ones that have been mentioned before (Apana, Alphalink) and said that of 10 current applicants only one said they were not willing to pay for their own internet access.
It was mentioned that we should note all SMTP offers and pass them to Technical for appraisal.
Patricia moved that we should develop a protocol for members to act on CBV's behalf, explaining that although this might seem to slow processes down, it will also protect the organisation from people jumping in feet first and promising things on CBV's behalf. Seconded, Kylie, carried. Discussion arising from this motion agreed that people do need to discuss their plans and consult before arranging things - email and phone, 24 hours' notice is okay, otherwise, remember to say "I'll take this back to a meeting and come back to you".
Report on the Clayton Utz visit: Kylie, Peter, Bill and Patricia attended. Issues discussed: Constitution (re tax exemption and tax-deductibility), liability (product and volunteer), Non-Disclosure Agreement (donors), Confidentiality Agreement (volunteers) and Disclaimer (recipients).
The CU representative is Michael Morley. Michael has a copy of the consititution as ratified at the previous meeting; he has sent a copy of his suggested changes which strengthen the clauses relating to ATO requirements. Copies passed out at the meeting for consideration and available by email on request to trish@thefrasers.org, or to beckster@warehouse.net.
Discussions re liability say that product liability (warranty) is unlikely to arise, but in the case of damage liability (fire, etc) cannot be sure, we are advised to insure. Volunteer liability, we are advised to get public liability insurance for our own premises; Michael will check regarding on-site work or training.
Michael will work up an NDA for us to enter into with donors. We would then need to have a confidentiality agreement with all volunteers, members or otherwise, to make the NDA worth having; he will work that up too. He will also work up a disclaimer for us to incorporate into the Recipient Application package, since that aligns with the system information and acceptance we already intend to incorporate.
Daniel brought up the subject of unserviceable equipment, particularly monitors; he is of the opinion that they should be disposed of, since they are not reliable even when fixed.
Kylie will visit Volunteering Victoria to collect information and resources; it's planned that we have a registration process for volunteers so that we can manage their time, after the fashion of a roster, and ask for the confidentiality document to be signed at the same time. She will draw up a volunteer registration form.
Bill moved a vote of thanks to Clayton Utz for the work they are doing for us, and mentioned the speed with which Michael Morley redrew the Consitution. Seconded Patricia, carried.
Recruitnet visit report: Kylie and Bill visited. Recruitnet is a work-for-the-dole programme which collects superseded PCs and refurbishes them and donates the refurbished PCs to community groups, usually one to a group. They don't install OS or software as far as we know. They are running low on computers to work on, and are willing to collect and refurbish computers for us, and return them to us. They could possibly act as a filter for computers also. Only problem; they operate Monday to Friday 9-5, not easy for our people to train them. Possibly could open for a half-day some Saturdays. We probably don't have any equipment to let them start on this week; Technical will consider.
Discussion arising from this led to agreement that we should probably rule out 286 machines as unusable; 386 machines we might keep for use as terminals.
Kylie reported speaking with Craig Sanders, who is not able to devote much time to the Technical Co-ordinator position. He is willing that we elect a new TC and he will give input whenever he can. Sam nominated Daniel as the new TC; Daniel accepted the nomination. Seconded by Bill; carried unanimously.
It was mentioned that Skillsnet are interested in referring people; they might give us access to people who are eligible, even if they are not quite so poor as the applicants we are likely to get through the other welfare agencies
To be discussed: Eligibility criteria and training issues. Report at next meeting.
Fundraising for insurance: Sam suggests a Quake on Linux competition. Idea received with approval. Peter will ask around at Melbourne Uni - there are some facilities there we might ne able to use. Could have a membership desk there also.
Meeting closed at 3:50 pm.
