AUUG board member Christopher Vance said the organization's ongoing costs include about $1500 per year for accountants fees and other services like public liability insurance and a post office box.

"We've cancelled our phone and fax," Vance said. "I'm sure more stuff can be axed, but the organization cannot survive long without income, and only by consuming all the funds we still have available. In that sort of situation, I'm not going to be hanging around long enough to guess when 'trading while insolvent' starts, and things get more interesting than I'd be happy with."

AUUG member Dr Peter Chubb from the University of NSW agrees with Lehey's proposal, saying the idea is "really good".

"The main problem with AUUG is that it's become almost irrelevant," Chubb said. "Unix is mainstream now [and] the kind of buzz that was associated with Unix in the 70s and 80s is now with Linux. AUUG missed its chance to transform itself into essentially what is now Linux Australia."

Chubb expressed uncertainty as to what role AUUG could have in the future.

"I really value the friends I've made through AUUG, but I can't get funding to attend AUUG events any more - AUUG conferences are seen as very second rate - and I can't afford to fund myself, so transforming into what would essentially be a social network sounds like a good plan," he said.

AUUG president Adrian Close has announced the 2007 AGM will be held on Wednesday December 12 in Melbourne.

"I feel it is likely that the most noteworthy result of the meeting will be a successful motion to conduct a ballot, asking the membership to vote on the dissolution of AUUG," Close told Computerworld.

Close said such a ballot does require a significantly higher percentage of the membership voting in the affirmative than simply affirming a motion at the AGM and, as such, may not actually succeed.

"In fact, I hope it doesn't succeed and that the membership take this as a wake-up call to get more involved in their organization," he said.

Close said Greg Lehey holds no formal position within AUUG and does not speak for the membership.