Media Release

Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc.

Media Release                                        23rd March 1999

          EFA Announces Appointment of Executive Director

Internet freedom watchdog Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) today 
announced the appointment of its first Executive Director, Mr Jon
(Darce) Cassidy of Adelaide.  Mr. Cassidy joined EFA in 1997 and 
has taken up his appointment this week.

Mr Cassidy has a background in broadcasting, having worked for the ABC
for over 30 years.  During this time he worked in Sydney, Canberra, 
Melbourne and Adelaide on a variety of programs including Four Corners, 
This Day Tonight, AM, PM and Background Briefing. From 1989 to 1997 he 
was the ABC's manager for South Australia.

He taught Media Studies (broadcasting politics) at RMIT on a part time 
basis for two years and has long been an advocate of public access to 
the means of mass communication. He was active in the creation of the 
public broadcasting sector in Australia and served on the board of 
station 3CR between 1976 and 1989, and on the board of 3D Radio 
(5DDD Adelaide) in 1997-98.

Announcing the appointment today, EFA Chair Kimberley Heitman said, "This
is a major step forward for EFA, which has depended entirely on volunteer 
board members since its foundation in 1994.  The appointment also comes
at a crucial time in the development of the Internet in Australia.
Only last week the Minister for Communications, Information Technology
and the Arts, Senator Alston, announced a draconian censorship proposal
that will strangle the domestic Internet and mark Australia as a 
repressive nation."

"Mr. Cassidy will bring a wealth of experience and ideas to EFA at this
critical juncture," Mr. Heitman continued.  "We look forward to EFA
becoming a more effective force as a result of this appointment."

Mr Cassidy relishes the challenge ahead of him.  "I am excited at
the prospect of being involved with such a dynamic organisation",
he said today.  "The civil liberties of Internet users are under
threat on several fronts, with censorship and privacy being
the hot issues.  I look forward to supporting the EFA board and
membership in opposing ill-informed government policies for 
Internet regulation."

Mr Cassidy will run the EFA national office from Adelaide.  His 
appointment will be formally confirmed at a meeting of the EFA 
board in Sydney on March 27.  This meeting is also breaking new ground, 
being the first time the board has had a face-to-face meeting since 
EFA's formation in Adelaide 5 years ago. 

[ENDS]

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      Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc  --  http://www.efa.org.au/
      representing Internet users concerned with on-line freedoms
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      Media Contacts:

      Kim Heitman                           Darce Cassidy
      Phone: 08 9458 2790                   Phone: 08 8362 5183
      [email protected]                    [email protected]
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