Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) held its Annual General Meeting in November 2024, resulting in the election of new board members for 2025. We are excited to welcome Andrew Scott, Bianca Gay, Jarrod Loidl and Andrew Roffey to the Board.
Meet the New Board Members
Andrew Scott
- Profession: Technology Executive
- Why did you join the Board? I have been a member of EFA for many years, and while I am optimistic about the power of technology to improve society, I am not blind to its risks. I want to support EFA to hold our institutions to account in protecting our privacy, as well as our freedoms.
- What’s one headline about digital rights/policy in Australia you want to see in 2025? Personally, I would love to see a headline about Australia’s copyright protections that gave artists and authors confidence that their work wouldn’t be consumed for free into international AI models.
- What’s one book, podcast, or article that has impacted how you think about technology or digital rights? I have recently enjoyed reading Cory Doctorow’s essay on enshittification, and that the Macquarie Dictionary has selected it for the word of the year 2024.
Bianca Gay
- Why did you join the Board? I joined the Board because I too am deeply passionate about making sure technology makes our lives better, not worse. I am a tech-facilitated abuse advocate and am committed to ensuring digital rights and dignity for all.
- What’s one headline about digital rights/policy in Australia you want to see in 2025? “Government shocks by going big and bold in 2nd round of Privacy Act reforms.”
- What’s one book, podcast, or article that has impacted how you think about technology or digital rights? Lately I’ve been liking 404 Media’s stuff.
Jarrod Loidl
- Profession: Cybersecurity & Technical Risk Leader
- Why did you join the Board? As someone that grew up on a steady diet of hacker stories and subculture, I’ve always grown up believing in access to information and an open arena of discourse (“the marketplace of ideas”) is the best method for civilised conversation and evolving our understanding of the universe. This hugely influenced my motivation to build a career in cybersecurity. Sadly, we live in a time in Australia where these ideas have never been more tested, especially with the ever encroaching laws which seek to impose a “chilling effect” on free speech across a number of dimensions. This is a cause that is near and dear to me and I believe I can help serve.
- What’s one headline about digital rights/policy in Australia you want to see in 2025? In an ideal world, I’d like to see Australia a founding country of an international consortium that is committed to unifying digital and privacy rights with teeth – aligning to a higher standard (like Europe – akin to GDPR). That’s an audacious goal I admit, but Australia has so much untapped intellectual capital.
- What’s one book, podcast, or article that’s impacted how you think about technology or digital rights? “Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier” by Suelette Dreyfuss.
Andrew Roffey
- Profession: Linux Systems Engineer at a Non-Profit Company
- Why did you join the Board? This year I’ve joined the EFA board as I am passionate about increasing the digital rights of Australians through advocacy, policy and technical means.
- What’s one headline about digital rights/policy in Australia you want to see in 2025? Looking forward in 2025 I’d really like to see government lead the way in adopting and promoting open standards across the board, especially in upcoming areas like Digital ID that will impact millions of Australians.
- What’s one book, podcast, or article that’s impacted how you think about technology or digital rights? I’m a great fan of Cory Doctorow and follow his podcast and Mastodon feed.
Members Re-elected
Congratulations to the following members on their re-election:
- John Pane – Chair
- Kiki Fong Lim – Vice Chair
- Paul Ruberry – Treasurer
- Ross Floate – Member
New Officers Appointed
- Andrew Scott – Secretary
We bid farewell to Erica Mealy, Amy Patterson and Fahad Ali and thank them for their contributions, dedication and passion that they brought to Electronic Frontiers Australia whist serving on the Board.
Looking Ahead
With everything going on (*gestures vaguely to facial recognition tech, Australia’s social media ban, inadequate whistleblower protections, and the Trusted Exchange System*) a new board brings fresh momentum to drive our activities forward! We can’t wait!
Still, we need your help to continue building our movement. Please consider donating to help us reach more people and make a greater impact. Donate Here.