Meeting:Meeting:Board (2025-05-20)
See also the list of all meetings.
Introduction
Date and time: 20 May 2025 17:00 AEST/16:30 ACST/15:00 AWST
Meeting objectives
Meeting objectives: To make decisions in relation to and to discuss Partner Projects, the Craig Franklin Award and WikiCon 2025.
Attendance
- Attendees: Peter, Elliott, Kassi, Jeremy, Shravan
- Apologies: Emily
- Absent
Acknowledgement of Country
Previous minutes
Minutes of previous meeting:
- Tuesday 15 April 2025 Meeting:Board_(2025-04-15)
2025-03-18-Wikimedia Australia Board meeting
- That the minutes of the Tuesday 15 April 2025 meeting be accepted.
Moved: Kassi Hays; seconded: Peter Neish; outcome: approved
Reports
Executive Officer’s report
Please find below a summary of key activities and updates:
Programs and engagements
- Planning for WikiCon 2025, focussing on venue selection. Suggestion that WMAU staff focus on logistics and planning, and a WikiCon community committee focus on programming only. See Matters for Discussion regarding some other ideas that have been raised.
- Progressed planning for four upcoming edit-a-thons and collaborations.
- Held a successful online webinar partnering with ALIA today (20 May) for almost 40 library staff.
- Ongoing support and liaison with the ESEAP Hub and Core Organising Committee, particularly on Strategic Summit in Manila (23–25 May 2025) and participating in many pre-conference meetings and calls.
- Coordinating the final stages of the Ian Peter archive project. The final report will outline suggested future phases, as there is still an amount of work remaining due to the volume of content.
Operations and governance
- Initiating plans and documentation for the Partner Projects 2025–2026 (dependent on our WMF Grant application).
- Finalised the 10 year Strategic plan, and responded to questions from WMF Regional Grants Committee on our triennial grant application, including a short Zoom call to meet and discuss our long term plans.
Opportunities
Meetings
Met with a range of organisations, including:
- The Australia Institute (Canberra and various distributed offices)
- National Communication Museum (Melbourne)
- SA Museum
- History Trust of SA
- Art Gallery of SA
- ALIA (online #1lib1ref webinar)
- Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia
Grants
Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) grant: No update at this time.
Communications Report
Social media - April analytics
| Total network size by platform as of April 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2024 | Annual change |
| X (formerly Twitter) | Followers | 4,137 | [Add X followers last month] | Up by 49 | [Add X followers same month last year] | [Add change in followers since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] |
| Followers | 2,036 | 2,036 | No change | [Add Facebook followers same month last year] | [Add change in followers since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] | |
| Followers | 740 | [Add Instagram followers last month] | Up by 22 | [Add Instagram followers same month last year] | [Add change in followers since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] | |
| Threads | Followers | [Add Threads followers this month] | [Add Threads followers last month] | [Add change in followers since last month as Up by #, Down by # or No change] | [Add Threads followers same month last year] | [Add change in followers since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] |
| Followers | 406 | [Add LinkedIn followers last month] | Up by 5 | [Add LinkedIn followers same month last year] | [Add change in followers since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] | |
| Mastodon | Followers | 254 | [Add Mastodon followers last month] | Up by 5 | [Add Mastodon followers same month last year] | [Add change in followers since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] |
| YouTube | Subscribers | 251 | [Add YouTube subscribers last month] | Up by 11 | [Add YouTube subscribers same month last year] | [Add change in subscribers since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] |
| Cumulative network size | [Add total of this month column] | [Add total of this last column] | [Add change in cumulative network size since last month as Up by #, Down by # or No change] | [Add of same month last year column] | [Add change in cumulative network size since last year as Up by #, Down by # or No change] | |
Website - Content
4 news stories were published on the website in April 2025
- A Wiki Day at SA Museum: From Photos to Facts
- From Archives to Wikipedia: Documenting Australian Feminism Through Radical Acts
- Wikimedia Australia and Terri Janke and Company to scope a First Nations Protocol
- Know My Name in 2025
Website - April analytics
| Total network size by platform as of April 2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2024 | Annual change |
| Views | [Add views this month] | [Add views last month] | [Add change in views since last month] | [Add views same month last year] | [Add change in views since last year] |
| New visitors | [Add new visitors this month] | [Add new visitors last month] | [Add change in new visitors since last month] | [Add new visitors same month last year] | [Add change in new visitors since last year] |
| Returning visitors | [Add returning visitors this month] | [Add returning visitors last month] | [Add change in returning visitors since last month] | [Add Instagram returning visitors same month last year] | [Add change in returning visitors since last year] |
Email - April analytics
| Total subscribers and unsubscribes to the Announce monthly newsletter in April 2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2024 | Annual change |
| Open rate | [Add total opens this month] | [Add total opens last month] | [Add change in total opens since last month] | [Add total opens same month last year] | [Add change in total opens since last year] |
| Subscribers | 507 | [Add subscribers last month] | No change | [Add subscribers same month last year] | [Add change in subscribers since last year] |
| Unsubscribes | [Add unsubscribes this month] | [Add unsubscribes last month] | [Add change in unsubscribes since last month] | [Add unsubscribes same month last year] | [Add change in unsubscribes since last year] |
Ticketing
| Total followers of Humanitix account in April 2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2024 | Annual change |
| Followers | 77 | [Add Humanitix followers last month] | No change | [Add Humanitix followers same month last year] | [Add change in followers since last year] |
President’s report
Please read this report in addition to joint activities with the EO as outlined above.
Agenda template
Belinda and I have made some changes to the agenda template for the Board meetings. This approach organises the agenda based on information Board members should be aware of and items that are tabled for discussion. We hope this format and approach will make it easier for everyone.
TAROCH Advocacy Workspace update
I have continued to participate in the TAROCH Advocacy Workspace asynchronously and via video conferencing online since the TAROCH Workspaces meeting in Den Haag (The Hague), The Netherlands in March. Two meetings have taken place on 14 April and 13 May. A final session will take place in June and is designed to incorporate feedback from the Coalition.
A final draft of the TAROCH Advocacy Strategy has been issued to the Workspace members and will be made available to TAROCH Coalition (including WMAU) members in early June. The TAROCH Advocacy Strategy will support Advocacy Circles – local action networks that will be the primary mechanism for activating TAROCH’s strategy. The potential of an Australian Advocacy Circle was discussed at the Creative Commons Australia Chapter meeting held on Wednesday 14 May 2025 which Belinda and I attended.
Federal election and ministerial and departmental changes
Change of Communications Minister
With the Albanese government returned at the Federal Election changes to the cabinet and outer ministry were announced on Tuesday 13 May 2025. Of relevance to WMAU:
- Anika Wells MP, Minister for Communications (as well as Minister for Sport)
The Communications Minister is a key decision maker for the Social Media Minimum Age legislation.
Changes of other Ministers
Other ministries of note:
- Senator Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science
- Tony Burke MP, Minister for Cyber Security and Minister for the Arts (as well as Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Citizenship)
- Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education
- Andrew Giles MP, Minister for Skills and Training
- Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians
- Michelle Rowland MP, Attorney-General
- Senator Penny Wong, continues as Minister for Foreign Affairs
Changes to government departments
There are no machinery of government (MOG) changes made in an Administrative Arrangements Order (AAO) on Tuesday 13 May 2025 relevant to WMAU. This means:
- Online safety continues to sit within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts
- Copyright continues to sit within the Attorney-General’s Department.
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner continues to be an independent agency within the Attorney-General’s portfolio.
- Office for the Arts continues to be division within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts
- The national cultural institutions – National Archives of Australia, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia, National Museum of Australia, National Portrait Gallery of Australia and Old Parliament House – and the funding agencies Creative Australia and Screen Australia continue to be portfolio entities within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts
- The eSafety Commissioner continues as an independent statutory office holder supported by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
- Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commissioner continues as an independent statutory office holder supported by the Australian Taxation Office
Policy and regulatory matters
Social media minimum age
As noted earlier, the Communications portfolio has changed hands from Michelle Rowland MP to Anika Wells MP. Wells is based in Brisbane. I strongly suggest WMAU send a letter to Wells welcoming her to the portfolio and informing her of our interest in the social media minimum age. This has been added as an Action item.
I also suggest that Belinda travel to Brisbane at a relevant time so Belinda and I can meet with Wells out of parliamentary sitting weeks. This matter has been tabled in Matters for discussion.
Belinda and I have both expressed our interest in participating in the eSafety Commissioner’s consultation on the implementation of social media age restrictions for under-16s. We have not been informed if we were successful yet. Consultation roundtables will take place in June 2025.
Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) 2025
Belinda and I are considering submitting a session proposal to auIGF 2025 which will take place in Adelaide on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 September 2025.
Regardless of the outcome of the proposal, I would like to suggest that Belinda and I both attend auIGF 2025. This matter has been tabled in Matters for discussion.
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Reference Group membership
On Wednesday 26 February 2025 I was accepted as a member of the Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Reference Group (CAIRG) established by the Attorney-General’s Department, representing WMAU and Creative Commons Australia. I attended a CAIRG meeting on Wednesday 5 March 2025. The reason this is being tabled now is because it took some time for the Attorney-General’s Department to update their website to note my inclusion.
I have also expressed interest in WMAU being involved in other copyright law reform consultation processes.
Other policy and regulatory matters
Also, we are expecting a Discussion Paper on the Children's Online Privacy Code from OAIC this week, there will also likely be an issues paper in June and roundtable consultations in July.
Media comment
An ABC Long Read article by Rhiannon Stevens titled Can Wikipedia survive the rise of AI and Trump? was published by the ABC at the weekend which includes quotes from myself and members of the Australian Wikimedia community. I was interviewed for this article in February 2025 but it has taken some time to get to publication.
Board governance
The Board continues to have two vacancies. I recommend that we defer discussion on whether to fill or leave vacant those positions to our next meeting which is three months since the matter was last raised. This continues to be listed in Matters held over to a future meeting.
In preparation for that discussion, all Board members are requested to update the WMAU Board Matrix 2023–25. This has been added to Action items.
Secretary’s report
Membership
One new membership application in May.
April membership statistics
| Total members of WMAU in April 2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | This month | Last month | Monthly change | April 2024 | Annual change |
| Financial members | 84 | 87 | Down 3 | [Add new financial members same month last year] | [Add change in new financial members since last year] |
| Lapsed memberships | 3 [Add number of lapsed memberships this month] | [Add number of lapsed memberships last month] | [Add change in lapsed memberships since last month] | [Add lapsed memberships same month last year] | [Add change in lapsed memberships members since last year] |
| Member applications | 0 [Add number of new membership applications this month] | [Add number of new membership applications last month] | [Add change in new membership applications since last month] | [Add new membership applications same month last year] | [Add change in new membership applications since last year] |
Membership renewal invoices
Belinda has been monitoring Xero and approved approx 50 invoices sent out on 4 May to our long-term members for their annual membership renewals. Almost half of these have paid already. Will continue to monitor this so that we have all members fully paid and financial before the AGM in September.
Treasurer’s report
Financial statements
Financial statements tabled:
- Profit and Loss Statement April 2025
- Balance sheet April 2025
Grant expenditure
A high level summary this year’s Grant expenditure as at Wednesday 14 May 2025:
| Budget vs actual grant expenditure for WMAU as at Wednesday 14 May 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy/category | Allocated ($) | Expended ($) | Remaining budget ($) |
| Strategy 1: Engagement | 56,000 | 48,343 | 7,657 |
| Strategy 2: Equity & Inclusion | 24,800 | 24,295 | 505 |
| Strategy 3: Capacity Building | 31,000 | 36,336 | -5,336 |
| Staff & Administration | 291,680 | 243,806 | 47,874 |
| Total | 403,480 | 352,782 | 50,698 |
* Waiting for refund of approx $3500 on Elliott’s travel to The Hague and Berlin which will bring the net expenditure for Capacity Building to $32,836. Reimbursement has been actioned and is expected week commencing Monday 19 May 2025.
Moved: Jeremy Ludlow; seconded: Elliott Bledsoe; outcome: Passed
Proposals passed by email and documented below
WMAU offer of Wikimania Scholarships 2025 – Nairobi, Kenya
Overview
As discussed at the April Board meeting, more information about Wikimania 2025 has been made available and we've received information from the Core Organising Team (COT) for Wikimania regarding WMAU Scholarships.
The WMAU Wikimania Scholarship Subcommittee (Peter, Shravan and Belinda) have now completed the review and selection process for the 2025 Wikimania Scholarships.
We are pleased to recommend the funding of two scholarships, each valued at AUD $5,000, to support attendance at Wikimania 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. The WMF provided us with a list of six people, and after consideration we have selected the following:
- User:Bahnfrend Mainly focussed on Commons, but more recently WikiSource. An active member of ESEAP and a WMAU Board member.
- User:Ethmostigmus Actively editing almost daily since 2022 reaching almost 10,000 edits, with a specific interest in Australian plants, biology and taxon. Has never attended a Wikimania before.
The subcommittee also recommends placing an additional two applicants on a waitlist, in the event that one of the primary recipients is unable to accept the scholarship.
The selection process followed the criteria set out in the WMAU Scholarships Policy, and the rubric in the new Partnerships Approach, with consideration given to the applicant’s Wikimedia contributions, potential impact of attendance, alignment with WMAU strategic priorities, foreseeable risks, DEI and previous scholarships.
Moved: Elliott Bledsoe; seconded: Emily Mierisch; outcome: The award of the Wikimania 2025 Scholarships to Jeremy Ludlow and Natasha Dreis were accepted.
Approve additional funding for support a Wikimania scholarship recipient
In light of some new information about one of the recipients of the Wikimania scholarship this year I would like to put a motion to the Board for consideration and voting out of session:
Background
On behalf of Wikimedia Australia, Belinda has offered two Wikimedia 2025 scholarships to active participants in the Australian Wiki movement. Both have gladly accepted and offer their sincere thanks to the Board for the opportunity. However User:Ethmostigmus flagged some additional needs and requires a carer to travel for support. This Scholar will provide Belinda with a budget of expected costs ASAP to establish how much additional is required, but indicated it's likely to be a return flight and other incidentals (possibly Access cabs, etc).
While we have not previously had any contact with User:Ethmostigmus, their track record as an editor is excellent (User:Ethmostigmus). A highly active editor who contributes to Wikimedia projects almost daily on Australian biology. The Scholar is a strong advocate for open knowledge and community based organisations. User:Ethmostigmus was unaware of Wikimedia Australia but is now keen to meet, connect and support others in Melbourne in particular.
Supporting this Scholar’s attendance aligns with Wikimedia Australia’s strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. It ensures that our scholarship program remains accessible and is for contributors of all backgrounds and abilities, and that we are removing barriers to participation in global Wikimedia events. These are also values that we carry forward into our next funding application and our 10 year strategy.
I would like to suggest that we use some of our funds to support this if there isn't enough in the scholarships budget line. Belinda is waiting for User:Ethmostigmus to advise a final figure.
Moved: Elliott Bledsoe; seconded: Peter Neish; outcome: The awarding of additional funding for the Wikimania 2025 Scholarships to User:Ethmostigmus were accepted.
Matters for discussion
2025/26 Partner Projects
Staff are developing the campaign to advertise for the next Round of Partner Projects, and Ali has developed a Timeline document. Once we hear back from WMF on our Grant we will know how much funding we have, and therefore how many and how much we can offer in Grants. We will need Board members and Community members in the Sub-Committee to evaluate applications.
Craig Franklin Award and other recognition for our community
With the AGM in September now is a good time to call for a Sub-Committee to look at the Craig Franklin Award and consider other forms of community recognition and acknowledgement. Seeking two Board members to join a Community representative on a Sub-Committee to select Craig Franklin awardee, consider other awards/scholarships, and select the recipients.
WikiCon 2025
Alice has undertaken some research in to possible locations including:
- Alice Springs
- Canberra
- Darwin
- Perth
Best date likely to be late October through to early-mid November. Community and members have indicated they are interested in a two-day conference with sessions offered in a hybrid format for those who can’t attend in person. WMAU staff can undertake the majority of logistics/comms/venue/catering, and community involvement be focussed on deciding the program content.
Other ideas for discussion include:
- Partnering with a key organisation such as AMaGA to increase our reach to the GLAM sector. AMaGA could host first 2 days of a conference, and we could add following 2 days with a focus on GLAM-Wiki. Potential date could be Feb 2026? Could still have regional focus.
- ESEAP Hackathon hosted in Australia. This may not need a huge amount of organising and support from WMAU, but would be a great opportunity to connect with and support our region, as well as our techie folks. Possible location Perth or Darwin?
- Other themed conferences such as a WikiCommons or WikiSource.
Future Wikimania
We were approached by Melbourne Convention Bureau, a government agency, to explore what might be involved in bringing Wikimania to Melbourne at some point in the future. After a discussion with Belinda and Elliott, Laura has provided WMAU with a proposal.
Meeting with Anika Wells MP
Given the change of Communications Minister and that the new minister Anika Wells MP’s Electorate Office is in Nundah on the northside of Brisbane WMAU should try to meet with Wells in Brisbane. Because the President is based in Brisbane and we had trouble securing a meeting with former Communications Minister Michelle Rowland MP we should try to arrange a meeting with Wells outside of Parliamentary Sitting periods.
WMAU attending auIGF
WMAU should attend the Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) again this year. Elliott attended it last year in Melbourne. This year auIGF will be held in Adelaide. Elliott would like to put forward the idea that Elliott and Belinda attend. Attending again and with more than one person demonstrates that the organisation is committed to internet governance. Belinda is based in Adelaide so we would only need to cover the cost for Elliott to travel to and stay in Adelaide.
Policy and procedure review
none.
Meeting end time: 6:46 pm AEST
- Next Community meeting: Monday 16 June 2025
- Next Board meeting: Tuesday 17 June 2025.