[Chapter-delegates] BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM

[Narelle.Clark at csiro.au]

> From:  Chris Grundemann
> Sent: Friday, 20 February 2009 10:22 AM
<snippage> 
> Also, I wonder about the broader question of government grants in
> general; is this something that ISOC chapters have ever taken
> advantage of?  I can understand not wanting to be too beholden but on
> an individual project level what are the arguments against?

ISOC-AU has been the beneficiary of a range of Australian government grants and we have found them really helpful in balancing the books, as well as meeting actually useful goals!

These have fallen into three categories:
- consumer education and consultation on Internet matters (TCCM program)
http://www.isoc-au.org.au/TCCM/

- conference sponsorship (IPv6 Summit)
http://www.ipv6.org.au/summit/

- specific technology work (IPv6 for eBusiness project)
http://www.ipv6.org.au/

The consultations also inform our various government submissions:
see www.isoc-au.org.au for the list of recent ones.

The down side of accepting government money is that people tend then to be guarded about criticising government policy, approaches etc. You can also be painted as pushing a particular government's approach, and when governments/policies change one is in danger of being thought of as being aligned to a particular party/lobby/unit.

It is not necessarily a bad thing to be aware of the political sensitivities, but it does add a layer of (arguably necessary) diplomacy to things. Issues do get politicised, and sometimes the association needs to be political, but we must always remain non-partisan, independent and user-focused. That is challenging!

The other challenge is merely on executing and completing projects within a largely voluntary organisation. People are lending their own time and expertise, and don't necessarily have the ability to commit, even when you are paying for it. You need to ensure you manage the projects effectively, and meet the (often onerous) government reporting demands. Project management is always challenging, but when you are spending public money there will be extra demands to spend it well and report how you did so in detail.


All the best


Narelle
VP ISOC-AU