The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose
Hi all,
Earlier today, I was contacted by Adele Ferguson, a highly-regarded investigative journalist from Fairfax. She advised me that she will be publishing a story tomorrow (which may or may not happen) about the ongoing upheavals at auDA. She wanted to solicit comment from me.
This, of course, piqued my interest.
Unfortunately, her interest in our industry was motivated by a leaked "Final" or "near Final draft" of the PPB Advisory Report (Dec 2017) that we have all been looking forward to for some time. She noted I was named in it and wanted comment specifically on the accusations targeted at me. She also advised that she had been provided an additional cover note or letter that made yet more accusations about my behaviour while at auDA. This was a shock - I had / have not seen anything.
So, lets get to the bottom of this before rumours spread and relationships are fractured.
If Ms Ferguson and her editors were prone to sensationalist headlines, we would all be reading "auDA's Disneyland rort".
The most serious accusation Ms Ferguson mentioned was that I took my family to DIsneyland on the auDA dollar.
Guess what? I did.
auDA had a very clear and well understood policy at the time, whereby staff - after receiving best-available business class airfare and accommodation quotes, could spend up to, but NOT MORE THAN that figure on personal arrangements. As long as we arrived at meetings in a fit and ready state to represent the interests of .au in various fora, we could do what we wished with the arrangements.
(Now, before the extremists start bemoaning the horrible rort that is business-class travel in general, I would like to refer you to the internal guidelines set down by the Australian Government. Yup, even they note that Business is an appropriate class of travel for legs of 8 hours or more.)
My family joined me on a number of international trips. None cost any more than it would have cost to send me alone.
I was not the only one - I had the opportunity to meet Vanessa Stanford's mother and Jo Lim's wonderful girls.
My point is - this was a family-friendly policy that cost auDA and the average domain registrant no more than employee-only trips.
Ms Ferguson also advised me that the supplementary documentation she was provided stated that I had "unfettered" access to an auDA credit card, that there was no accountability regarding my expenditures and that my expenditure was often equivalent to my annual salary. These are her words, not mine - as I still have no access to source materials. All of these accusations are false. Each and every month I had to explain and itemise every charge to my auDA card. To suggest otherwise is an obvious smear against my character.
I cut my teeth in the Australian Public Service, rigidly adhering to the APS Values and Code of Conduct. It is a practice that I transferred to my time at auDA. Currently, the APSC uses the "icare" acronym. Impartial. Committed to service. Accountable. Respectful. Ethical.
My greatest concern regarding the future of auDA and the .au space relates to that final value. How is it ethical, or even even productive, for someone within a very small grouping of people to leak this information to the media, and to do so with a specific focus on one auDA Member that has chosen to lend his voice to a Constitutionally-valid request for an SGM?
I have not worked for auDA (offically) for nearly a year and my last meaningful engagement was in September 2016. The trip to Disneyland? 2011.
I cast no aspersions as to who leaked this information, but it is certainly a serious leak. It is also an ad hominem attack where someone is "playing the man and not the ball".
I will be seeking further legal counsel. I am outraged and disappointed. I have aired my side of the story. I leave it to members and stakeholders to form their own views but I will happily discuss every element of this saga with anyone that seeks to make contact.
Hi all,
Earlier today, I was contacted by Adele Ferguson, a highly-regarded investigative journalist from Fairfax. She advised me that she will be publishing a story tomorrow (which may or may not happen) about the ongoing upheavals at auDA. She wanted to solicit comment from me.
This, of course, piqued my interest.
Unfortunately, her interest in our industry was motivated by a leaked "Final" or "near Final draft" of the PPB Advisory Report (Dec 2017) that we have all been looking forward to for some time. She noted I was named in it and wanted comment specifically on the accusations targeted at me. She also advised that she had been provided an additional cover note or letter that made yet more accusations about my behaviour while at auDA. This was a shock - I had / have not seen anything.
So, lets get to the bottom of this before rumours spread and relationships are fractured.
If Ms Ferguson and her editors were prone to sensationalist headlines, we would all be reading "auDA's Disneyland rort".
The most serious accusation Ms Ferguson mentioned was that I took my family to DIsneyland on the auDA dollar.
Guess what? I did.
auDA had a very clear and well understood policy at the time, whereby staff - after receiving best-available business class airfare and accommodation quotes, could spend up to, but NOT MORE THAN that figure on personal arrangements. As long as we arrived at meetings in a fit and ready state to represent the interests of .au in various fora, we could do what we wished with the arrangements.
(Now, before the extremists start bemoaning the horrible rort that is business-class travel in general, I would like to refer you to the internal guidelines set down by the Australian Government. Yup, even they note that Business is an appropriate class of travel for legs of 8 hours or more.)
My family joined me on a number of international trips. None cost any more than it would have cost to send me alone.
I was not the only one - I had the opportunity to meet Vanessa Stanford's mother and Jo Lim's wonderful girls.
My point is - this was a family-friendly policy that cost auDA and the average domain registrant no more than employee-only trips.
Ms Ferguson also advised me that the supplementary documentation she was provided stated that I had "unfettered" access to an auDA credit card, that there was no accountability regarding my expenditures and that my expenditure was often equivalent to my annual salary. These are her words, not mine - as I still have no access to source materials. All of these accusations are false. Each and every month I had to explain and itemise every charge to my auDA card. To suggest otherwise is an obvious smear against my character.
I cut my teeth in the Australian Public Service, rigidly adhering to the APS Values and Code of Conduct. It is a practice that I transferred to my time at auDA. Currently, the APSC uses the "icare" acronym. Impartial. Committed to service. Accountable. Respectful. Ethical.
My greatest concern regarding the future of auDA and the .au space relates to that final value. How is it ethical, or even even productive, for someone within a very small grouping of people to leak this information to the media, and to do so with a specific focus on one auDA Member that has chosen to lend his voice to a Constitutionally-valid request for an SGM?
I have not worked for auDA (offically) for nearly a year and my last meaningful engagement was in September 2016. The trip to Disneyland? 2011.
I cast no aspersions as to who leaked this information, but it is certainly a serious leak. It is also an ad hominem attack where someone is "playing the man and not the ball".
I will be seeking further legal counsel. I am outraged and disappointed. I have aired my side of the story. I leave it to members and stakeholders to form their own views but I will happily discuss every element of this saga with anyone that seeks to make contact.
