Meeting:Board (2026-06-16)
See also the list of all meetings.
Meeting details
Date and time - 16 Jun 2026 18:00 GMT+9:30 AEST/18:00 ACST/17:30 AWST/14:00
Meeting start time
06:11 pm AEST (06:00 pm AEST (Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart), 05:30pm ACST (Adelaide, Darwin), 04:00pm AWST (Perth))
Meeting end time
08:05 pm AEST
Meeting objectives
Meeting objectives: Recognise Kerry’s resignation from the Board, proposing of a Diversity, Inclusion, and Safety Standing Committee and a Craig Franklin Award SubCommittee
Record of attendance
Attendees: Belinda Spry (ex-officio), Emily Mierisch Shravan Rao, Mylee Joseph, Kassi Hays, Elliott Bledsoe
Apologies: Peter Neish Jeremy Ludlow
Absent:
Matters for noting
Reports
Executive Officer’s report
Please find below a summary of key activities and updates from the past month:
Programs and engagements
- Wikimania Australia 2029 Expression of Interest is now on the Wikimania meta wiki site and garnering support on the Discussion page. Other affiliates and countries EOI’s for 2028, 2029 and 2030 are listed here. Belinda and Elliott may be able to meet with the Wikimania Steering Committee while attending Wikimania Paris, to discuss and answer questions regarding our EOI.
- Wikimania Paris 2026: Belinda is coordinating the First Nations keynote panel session at Wikimania Paris 2026. Guest panelists include Terri, Migoto Eria (Aotearoa), Michelle Callipol (WM Chile) and Therese Ottawa (WM Canada). First meeting was very productive and a second will be scheduled in coming weeks. Belinda and Elliott met with WMF to discuss translation and interpretation and the importance of supporting First Nations presenters. The Wikimania program has not been announced yet, but hopefully will be soon.
- ICIP and IDSov Project: Terri Janke and Company (TJC) provided the final ICIP &IDSov Guide for proofreading on 10 June. The Issues Paper has commenced and is expected in July. As mentioned above, the Wikimania panel session planning is in progress, to launch and showcase the Guide. We will also hold a side event so Terri and Shevaun can facilitate a walk through of the Guide (potentially similar to the WikiCon Canberra Sunday morning session) with a venue space being offered by Wikimania France. Potential date will be the afternoon of 21 July, with the main keynote Panel on Friday 24 July at 11am Paris local time.
- Partner Projects 2025–2026. Staff have been checking in on all three projects which are nearing conclusion and wrap up. Two require a short deadline extension. As raised previously the AMaGA project is quite delayed, and discussions are underway to establish next steps.
- APNIC / Ian Peter archive: Digitisation phase is complete, although one additional box of records from a company called Pactok are being considered as they complement Ian’s collection. Caddie completed the oral history interviews with Andrew Garton and Karen Banks, and the recordings and transcripts are now in the archive. Two additional interviews on Zoom are being arranged. Caddie and Cameron are preparing a Final Report, after a meeting with APNIC Foundation to ensure all is progressing as planned. Will be completed on time and on budget.
Operations and governance
- Staff are collecting and collating useful resources for Safe Spaces and Cultural Safety training opportunities, to provide to community, Board members and staff in the next financial year.
- Reminder - Please leave a birthday message on our Australian virtual birthday card.
Opportunities
Meetings
Met with:
- Elena Lappen, Wikimedia Foundation staff supporting Wikimania
- Katherine Allen, ClickView educational content provider
- Dean Foley, Barayamal for Partner Project
- First Nations panel members for Wikimania, Terri, Shevaun, Matilda, Migoto (Aotearoa), Michelle (Chile) and WMAU team
- APNIC Foundation, Ellisha Heppner and Dave Dawson, with Caddie Brain and Cameron Deegan
- Jacqueline Chen, ESEAP Grant Manager, WMF
- Tania Barnes ,Business Events Sydney
- WMF Trust & Safety team member
- Regular #1Lib1Ref session attendees
- Regular ESEAP Hub Steering Committee meetings
Grants
- N/A
Communications
Social media - April analytics
| Total network size by platform as of April 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2026 | Annual change |
| X (formerly Twitter) | Followers | 4414 | 4401 | 13 | 4137 | +277 |
| Followers | 2309 | 2290 | +192 | 2036 | +273 | |
| Followers | 873 | 864 | +9 | 740 | +133 | |
| Threads | Followers | 192 | 190 | +2 | 157 | +35 |
| Followers | 540 | 523 | +17 | 406 | +134 | |
| Mastodon | Followers | 312 | 309 | +8 | 254 | +58 |
| YouTube | Subscribers | 319 | 318 | +1 | 251 | +68 |
| Cumulative network size | 8959 | 8895 | +64 | 7981 | +978 | |
May analytics
| Total network size by platform as of May 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | May 2026 | Annual change |
| X (formerly Twitter) | Followers | 4417 | 4414 | +3 | 4209 | +208 |
| Followers | 2330 | 2309 | +21 | 2036 | +294 | |
| Followers | 891 | 873 | +18 | 752 | +139 | |
| Threads | Followers | 193 | 192 | +1 | 167 | +26 |
| Followers | 550 | 540 | +10 | 401 | +122 | |
| Mastodon | Followers | 311 | 312 | +8 | 261 | +50 |
| YouTube | Subscribers | 323 | 319 | +4 | 240 | +78 |
| Cumulative network size | 9015 | 8959 | +56 | 7830 | +1185 | |
Website
April & May analytics Content
4 news stories were published on the website in April 2026
- Wikimedia Australia welcomes the passage of the Copyright Amendment Act 2026
- WikiCon Canberra 2026: Bringing the Community Together
- Lest we forget: military history on Wikimedia platforms
- Wikimedia Australia April 2026 Update
5 news stories were published on the website in May 2026
- From the field to the free web
- Wikimedia Australia ICIP and IDSov
- Coordinate Me 2026
- 1Lib1Ref 2026
- A postcard from Wikicon Wellington 2026
| Total network size by platform as of April 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2025 | Annual change |
| Visits | 4930 | 3327 | -38.3% | 2205 | +50.9% |
| New visitors | 4412 | 2839 | -60.4% | 1799 | +57.8% |
| Returning visitors | 518 | 488 | +43.1% | 406 | +20.2% |
| Page views | 6100 | 4546 | 3652 | +24.5% | |
| Average visit duration | 34 sec | 2 min 26s | 3 min 31s | -30.8% | |
| Most visited page | 941
(WMAU help/info page) |
434
(WMAU help/info page) |
292
(WMAU help/info page) |
||
| Total network size by platform as of May 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | May 2025 | Annual change |
| Visits | 2622 | 7515 | -38.3% | 2205 | +50.9% |
| New visitors | 3215 | 4412 | -27.1% | 1620 | +98.5% |
| Returning visitors | 407 | 518 | -21.4% | 449 | -9.4% |
| Page views | 6365 | 6100 | 256 | 2682 | +92.2% |
| Average visit duration | 2 min 54 sec | 34 sec | 3 min 31s | +100% | |
| Most visited page | 493
(WMAU help/info page) |
293
(WMAU help/info page) |
292
(WMAU help/info page) |
||
March analytics - Announce newsletter
| Total subscribers and unsubscribes to the Announce monthly newsletter in April 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2025 | Annual change |
| Subscribers | 529 | 529 | - | 507 | +22 |
| Total subscribers and unsubscribes to the Announce monthly newsletter in May 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | May 2025 | Annual change |
| Subscribers | 529 | 529 | - | 509 | +23 |
Ticketing
| Total followers of Humanitix account in April 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2025 | Annual change |
| Followers | 139 | 120 | +19 | 77 | +62 |
| Total followers of Humanitix account in May 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | March 2025 | Annual change |
| Followers | 140 | 139 | +1 | 77 | +63 |
President’s report
Vote of thanks – Kerry Raymond
For health reasons Kerry Raymond has resigned as an Ordinary Member of the Wikimedia Australia Board.
On behalf of the WMAU Board, the staff and the membership I would like to thank Kerry for her service on the WMAU Board since the AGM in September last year. Her contributions to the Board, in particular her deep knowledge of nonprofit governance and her passionate representation of and advocacy for the Australian Wikimedia movement in that time is admiral and noted.
Kerry also served on the Board during terms between 2012 and 2015, including a stint as Vice President in 2013.
Outside of the Board, we also acknowledge Kerry’s participation in various Subcommittees supporting the Board’s work, her commitment to the Wikimedia movement in Australia and to WMAU members and Kerry’s personal breadth of on-wiki contributions.
Secretary’s report
Membership
Two new applications, both received in June:
May membership statistics
| Total members of WMAU at 31 May 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | May 2025 | Annual change |
| Financial members | 97 | 96 | 1 | 84 | 13 |
| Lapsed memberships | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Member applications | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
Treasurer’s report
Financial statements
Financial statements tabled for May:
- Profit and Loss Statement May 2026
- Balance Sheet May 2026
WMF Grant expenditure - high level summary as at 10 June 2026
Total Approved Budget: $484,232
Total Expenditure to Date: $445,608
Total Remaining Funds: $38,624
Overall Position
- Percentage of budget spent: 92.02%
- Percentage remaining: 7.98%
| Strategy/Category | Budget allocated ($) | Expended ($) | Remaining ($) | % remaining |
| Strategy 1: Engagement (includes WikiCon Canberra) | 76,000 | 88,324 | -12,324* | -16.22%* |
| Strategy 2: Equity & Inclusion | 24,800 | 17,274 | 7,526 | 30.35% |
| Strategy 3: Capacity Building | 40,000 | 30,325 | 9,675 | 24.19% |
| Staff & Administration | 343,432 | 309,685 | 33,747 | 9.83% |
| TOTAL | $484,232 | $445,608 | $38,624 | 7.98% |
* Strategy 1 shows an overspend of $12,324 (16.22% above budget). We will receive some reimbursements from ESEAP Hub towards Wikimania costs for Belinda.
All remaining funds are committed to salaries, superannuation, final Partner Project grant payments, Admin and Account keeping fees for Key Admin, final BAS and ATO payments and will fully expend, or nearly fully expend, the remaining grant money.
Year 2 Grant Budget for WMAU
Year 2 Budget for WMAU has been approved at AUD$536,100, which is an approximate 10% increase on the 2025-2026 current funding level, but not quite the full amount that we requested. Announced on 26 May on meta-wiki General Support Fund page. It supports making Ali’s role fulltime, and growth in some programs, training and outreach.
Belinda has drafted an adjusted WMAU Budget for 2026-2027 to adapt to this grant amount. The main change proposed is to consider the WikiCon Canberra community feedback to hold WikiCon Australia on an 18 month cycle. The budgeted amount for WikiCon Australia is $40k. To cover the reduced budget we could reduce the WikiCon Australia budget by $30k in 2026-2027. Then roll-over $10k to the next 2027-2028 budget and fund WikiCon Australia in November 2027, providing approx $50k for the event. This would allow us to undertake all our proposed activities, including recruiting a First Nations role at 0.2 FTE.
Year 2 Grant Budget for ICIP & IDsov project with Terri Janke and Company
Announced on 10 June on meta-wiki General Support Fund page is an additional ICIP & IDSov project top-up in the amount of AUD$100,000. While this very welcome and will cover the Implementation of the ICIP & IDSov Guide for one year (AUD$96,662), it will not fund the firstx year of the component relating to the development of the full Protocol (AUD$179,847.46) nor the additional capacity for resourcing WMAU to support TJC .
New Westpac Transaction Account
A new everyday transaction account has been opened with Westpac and is now in use. The existing account, which receives regular donations, will be retained and has been renamed the Donations Account.
To reduce the risk of fraudulent or scam transactions, funds are being regularly transferred from the Donations Account to the Transaction Account. The aim is to keep the balance in the Donations Account as close to zero as practicable so that potential scam transactions are declined.
Finance review in preparation for AGM
As the full amount of our grants received is over AUD$500,000 in the past financial year, we are now classified by the ACNC as a Medium sized charity. We will require a financial review (a full audit is required once receiving over AUD$3 million), ready to present at the AGM in September.
Matters for discussion
Resignation from the Wikimedia Australia board
The Board notes with regret the resignation of Kerry Raymond as an ordinary member, effective 7 June 2026, due to health reasons, and expresses its sincere thanks for Kerry’s service and contribution to the Board.
Reschedule July Board meeting due to Wikimania Paris 2026
Suggestion to reschedule the July Board meeting as it currently falls on 21 July, during Wikimania Paris. Due to time zone differences both Belinda and Elliott can’t attend. We’ll be hosting a Workshop with Terri and Shevaun for Wikimania participants. Suggestion is to bring forward to 14 July, so that we can present information to prepare for the September Annual General Meeting.
Wikimedia Australia Diversity, Inclusion, and Safety Standing Subcommittee
As has been discussed at our Board Strategic Planning Day and recent board meetings, Wikimedia Australia’s Safe Spaces Policy as it stands is not providing the necessary support to our community members, board members, and staff to ensure we are indeed providing a safe space.
The structure and time limit of our board meetings means we are constrained in our ability to do further work on addressing safety in our community as a priority. It is necessary that we have more processes and supports in place to ensure Wikimedia Australia meets and exceeds our obligation of being a safe and inclusive environment for every person we engage with.
To further this work I would like to propose the creation of a standing subcommittee made up of board members, staff, and interested community members to develop guiding documents including but not limited to an Inclusive Language Guide, and an operational guide for Event Safety. This subcommittee will undertake other work as deemed applicable under the stewardship of a Chair of the subcommittee.
Moved: Kassi; seconded: Mylee; outcome: Passed
Craig Franklin Award subcommittee and call out to community for nominations
The Craig Franklin Award recognises outstanding contributions to the Wikimedia movement in Australia, in honour of Craig Franklin’s legacy and service to the community.
It is proposed that the Award be administered using the same process as last year. This would include the establishment of a small Subcommittee to oversee the process, including confirming eligibility criteria, reviewing nominations, and making a recommendation to the Board. The Subcommittee would be made up of two Board members, a staff member and one or two community members.
Concurrently, a call for nominations would be made to the wider Australian Wikimedia community, inviting submissions for potential recipients. The Subcommittee would then consider nominations and bring a recommended recipient(s) to the Board for endorsement.
This approach is intended to ensure an open, transparent, and community-informed process while maintaining continuity with previous years.
Moved: Mylee; seconded: Shraven; outcome: Passed
Emily had to leave the meeting at 19:39pm.
AIATSIS Summit 2026
Kassi recently attended the AIATSIS Summit on behalf of the WMAU Board, and attended Terri’s session on the WMAU ICIP & IDSov project.
The AIATSIS Summit was different from any other conference I have attended. I was there to listen and to learn. An overarching theme of the Summit was reclaiming power in systems that were not built for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These systems are still being used to cause harm to First Nations peoples and communities. One of the things that stood out was about how items in collections were historically referred to as “Objective records of history” even though First Nations voices were absent. That records are not just data - data has spirit and records are family. Avoiding difficult history doesn’t create unity. Silence doesn’t heal wounds.
The session by Terri and Shevaun “Our Knowledge, Our Governance: Embedding Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property and Indigenous Data Sovereignty in Wikimedia Platforms” was in the morning on the third day of the conference. Even though I had heard Terri and Shevaun present on this work already, what stuck with me was the following: ‘Democratic does not mean inclusive. If people are anonymous there is a lack of accountability.’ We all need to keep this front of mind as we continue working on this change for Wiki platforms as this will be challenging but it is necessary.
The room was FULL (granted our session was in one of the smaller rooms) and people were even standing at the back. I’m not sure if this was because of Wiki or because of Terri - she is definitely a rockstar. She was interviewed by a journalist from ABC Radio National after the session.
The following questions were asked after the presentation:
- What is the relationship between UNDRIP and Australian law?
- How can First Nations people learn how to contribute to Wikipedia?
Terri let me answer this one - I encouraged them to reach out to Wikimedia Australia because that’s what we are here for - to provide support through training and other assistance to enable people to contribute to Wiki platforms - and how important it is to have more First Nations people contributing - and that part of this work is making it culturally safe for them to do so.
- Do people contributing First Nations content to Wiki platforms need to get permission from Aboriginal groups?
I also had a good conversation with someone from IP Australia after the session who seemed really interested in getting training for their organisation on how to edit Wiki - I gave her my card and encouraged her to reach out.
In the conversations I had with people, explaining why I was there and about the work we are doing, it was clear to me that while people are obviously aware of what Wikipedia is, they are still unsure about us being in this space and we still have work to do around demonstrating why we should be there. While we think the work we are doing with the ICIP Protocol and IDSov Guide is very exciting - there is obvious scepticism around how this is going to work in practice.
I will leave you with the words of Kaleb Mabo: ‘For too long the truth of this country was incomplete. It was centered around one perspective. Our truth is that this land was never empty. Our truth is that sovereignty was never ceded.’ … ‘Truth telling is not passive. It demands that people are going to be uncomfortable. When we shift the narrative we shift the power.’
Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) update
Elliott will provide an update on the Creative Commons proposal and CLG.
Provide a briefing paper in the lead up to the AGM and have formal
WMF Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC)
Following up on progress of all Board and staff to undertake the UCoC training :
- Overview
- Module 1: Establish a shared understanding of the UCoC
- Module 2: Identification and Reporting (UCoC - Violations)
- Module 3: Complex cases, appeals and closing - DRAFT