Wikimedia chapters/Reports/Wikimedia Australia/2009-01: Difference between revisions

Wikimedia Australia chapter report

Edition 4, January 2009

By Brianna Laugher, President (blaugher at wikimedia dot org dot au)

Wikimedia Australia had its first AGM on January 11th. Three groups participated via conference call: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Other members from different locations participated via IRC. Elections for committee positions were held, with results as following:

• President: Brianna Laugher (uncontested)
• Vice President: Liam Wyatt
• Secretary: Sarah Ewart (uncontested)
• Treasurer: Brian Salter-Duke (uncontested)
• Ordinary members: John Vandenberg, Nathan Carter.

<http://wikimedia.org.au/wiki/2008-2009_AGM>

A miniconf called "Free as in Freedom" was held in Hobart, on 20th January, as part of the national Linux conference, linux.conf.au (LCA). This miniconf was organised by Brianna Laugher (although not as a Wikimedia Australia event); one of the speakers was Liam Wyatt. It included talks on open access, copyright law, geodata and citizen journalism. The first Tasmanian Wikimedia meetup was also held.

<http://freeasinfreedom.modernthings.org/d/doku.php?id=schedule>

In February we made a submission to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) on the Digital Economy Future Directions Consultation Paper. This is our second submission to government, following our submission in September 2008 to the Victorian parliament's "Inquiry into Improving Access to Victorian Public Sector Information and Data".

<http://wikimedia.org.au/wiki/Submission_on_Australian_Digital_Future_Directions>

This was an event held on March 13th, with the Powerhouse Museum (PHM) in Sydney. It involved giving Wikimedia Australia members a private tour of the PHM's collections, followed by group editing of articles relating to PHM topics. It was a very successful pilot event, leading the PHM to license their collection documentation under a variety of Creative Commons licenses.

<http://wikimedia.org.au/wiki/Backstage_pass>

On April 16-17 Brianna Laugher and Liam Wyatt attended the 'Unlocking IP' conference at the Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre at the University of NSW. Our talk was called "Wikimedia in copyright / Copyright in Wikimedia" and touched on a variety of topics: how the Wikimedia Commons community reconciles many national copyright laws; the license switch; derivative works/the right to fork and the non-commercial paradox.

Abstract: <http://www.cyberlawcentre.org/unlocking-ip/2009/papers.htm#5ABL>

Video: <http://blip.tv/file/2008295/>

On 22nd May Brianna Laugher gave a talk at an EDNA workshop at the State Library of Victoria, about using Wikipedia in the classroom. EDNA is a government-funded "network of the education and training community".

<http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/events/workshops/VIC>

• The Age, 'Many minds make Wiki work'. Mandy Salomon, January 15, 2009.
  • <http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/many-minds-make-wiki-work/2009/01/14/1231608762605.html>
• Sydney Morning Herald, 'Watch out Wikipedia, here comes Britannica 2.0'. Stephen Hutcheon, January 22, 2009.
  • <http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/here-comes-britannica-20/2009/01/22/1232471469973.html>
• PM, 'Biography hacking prompts Wikipedia review'. Rachael Brown, 27 January, 2009. [&]
  • <http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2475604.htm>
• Sydney Morning Herald, 'Obama Wiki fiddler caught red-handed'. Asher Moses, March 11, 2009.
  • <http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/03/11/1236447270592.html>
• Sydney Morning Herald, 'Parents warned of Wikiporn risk'. Caroline Marcus, May 24, 2009. [&]
  • <http://www.smh.com.au/news/home/technology/parents-warned-of-wikiporn-risk/2009/05/23/1242498976065.html>

[&] = quotes from Wikimedia Australia member