12 is still a lot of folk Kate. The question in my mind as I read
bot the NOIE paper and your document is "Does the involvement
of more people lead to better outputs?" Sadly, the answer tends
towards 'no'. More people on a body leads to fragmentation,
varying degrees of involvement, greater overheads, slower
decision making processes with more erratic outcomes (look
at parliament if you want a substantive demonstration of
what happens when you get over 100 in the group!)

The quality option for many groupings is not how large they
are, but the degree to which they consult and gather views,
and then create outputs which posses both consistency and
coherency.

So, if we a start with 

- a function: policy oversight, 

- and a preferred size: 6, 

- and a preferred mode of operation: reviewing the output of
   various working groups (or 'councils' as the NOIE paper
   put it - although I find the word 'council' way too
   grandiose for the function personally) using the process
   of open review by soliciting comment from interested
   parties.

then does that suggest a Board structure?

I'd contend that it does, and tends to lean towards having
the board positions filled with folk who are as Kate
terms it 'consumer rights' and 'legal resolution'. The
technical functions and agent transactions are in my view
not necessarily policy level activities.

Lets see it this applies to a modification of Kate's proposal:

>Here's a suggested breakdown of the primary interests of the groupings
>of the discussion document - but in reality each group would decide for
>*itself* which sector was its primary focus.  Each sector could elect
>say, 3 board members, for a board of 12 people.
>
                         (1)         (2)        (3)         (4)
                      Technical     Agent      Legal      Consumer
Domain name holders                                           x
IIA (ISPs)                            *                                       
ISOC-AU                                                       x
ATUG                                                          x
ACA                                                           x
Tradegate                                        x


Now the only one I see which you may wish to include is the IIA
position, given that the agents themselves are consumers of the
registrar function.

A smaller body as as that above will probably dischange its
functions efficiently and effectively. A lerger body will
be underworked, and will either disintegrate or start
aggregating other functions and become an unhealthy point
of concentration of powers. Neither outcome is desireable
in a well balanced environment.

Geoff