05 Forming AMT

1991: A complicated situation

By 1990 there was a complicated situation. AMF Limited had developed into a highly successful not for profit operation, whose main product was the largest single event on the Australian education calendar, providing the only reliable national method of testing achievement of students of all secondary year levels, but also with the sharp edge of additionally testing and identifying problem solving talent.

Independently of this AMOC had developed a reliable program for Australia's involvement in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), and had further tested this by having successfully hosted the event in a way which had expanded it. AMOC was on the verge of founding the Challenge, a revolutionary school-based program which would act as a bridge between the AMC and the more elite Olympiad training, and which would prove invaluable in improving Australia's results at IMO, as results from 1997 and onward would show.

There was also a range of other ancillary events, mainly associated with the AMF. The International Mathematics Tournament of Towns had been introduced, AMF was supporting an annual UC Maths Day, there was some publishing, annually, of associated materials, and AMF was supporting also an international professional society, the WFNMC.

Whereas AMOC was on the verge of introducing the Challenge, and was also supporting the new regional Asian Pacific Mathematical Olympiad, AMF was on the verge of launching its competitions deeper into the region by way of South East Asia.

The two corporate structures were quite different, one an Australian registered company, limited by guaranteed, and not for profit, the other a subcommittee of the Academy of Science. One was self-sufficient, and had developed its own office and resources. The other was dependent for office space and there were differences of opinion about how this should be charged. One was centrally based for personnel on one campus, the other drew volunteer support from everywhere in the country. They did have quite different logos and corporate identities. Schools would not have necessarily recognised that AMC and AMOC were related.

But there was one common thread, namely Peter O'Halloran, and of course the one base, the Canberra CAE, which on the other hand now as a result of the Dawkins changes in tertiary Education, had become one of Australia's new Universities, in this case the University of Canberra (UC).

Not only was this a new University, but to come with it, UC had just acquired a very high profile new Vice Chancellor in political scientist Don Aitkin. Don had been a Professor at Macquarie University, he had been Chairman of ANU's Institute of Advanced Studies (its research wing) and most recently had been the architect of the new revamped Australian Research Council, working closely with Minister John Dawkins.

In 1991 AMF held a spectacular national award ceremony in the new Parliament House, with Governor General Bill Hayden presiding as Guest of Honour, followed by a major banquet in the Great Hall. Don was present and he definitely saw the potential.

1991: AMF Considerations

Set against the backdrop above it was clear that AMF and AMOC were at a critical time in their history. Together with this Peter O'Halloran's workload, and level of it, had reached a point of time that he should be remunerated at Professor level. But there were other volunteers who had absorbed workloads which warranted payment because their administrative work had them involved in significant daily work. Payment was not the only consideration. Because we were all academics with teaching loads, consideration was needed on time buyouts also.

There were further considerations. Were those of us on large workloads the most obvious people to be undertaking them? Some of us, due to staff appointments, had their loads reduced, particularly those in the computer area, where we had started to employ specialist staff. In this respect most under question was Peter Brown, where there was now a financial staff member, but could it all be transferred to staff? He was working highly effectively. It was generally accepted that chairing problems committees, such as I was doing (and others such as Bruce Henry were starting to do in AMOC) had to be continued by academics.

One of the most difficult issues was the administrative structure. AMF had always adopted a flat collegial structure, in which people with duties went about them and reported back to the committee, not to a CEO. There were also broader issues such as administration of all the peripheral activities which had evolved. In the end a more business-like structure would be needed for ongoing process, even though our current structure had worked to this point of time.

AMF appointed a Melbourne-based business consultant to interview all the key stakeholders, analyse the issues and make meaningful recommendations for the future. By this time also a business name "Australian International Centre for Mathematics Enrichment" had been introduced, although its definition was very unclear.

1992: University Intervention

The consultant performed his task and reported in early 1992. He solved some of the issues, but others remained. There was still the issue of the relationship with AMOC. Don had a strong vision and wanted a merger of the organisations. He committed himself to chairing the Board of a combined entity. Don, whose father had been a distinguished mathematics teacher, had his own vision for the merged entity and it was very fortunate that the body would always be strongly chaired, first by Don, later by senior public servant Greg Taylor. Assistant Vice Chancellor Bob Mitchell was given the difficult task of convening the negotiations.

Whereas people were nervous about how the negotiations would pan out, given that AMF was giving up significant powers, no one from either side was resistant, in fact it was quite the contrary. AMF appointed three negotiators (Peter Brown, Graham Pollard, a statistician who in 1991 had become a 9th director of AMF Limited, and I), and Gordon Preston, Chairman of AMOC, Judith Downes, AMOC Treasurer, and Mike Newman, of ANU, were appointed by AMOC. There were many long meetings, and despite difficult administrative obstacles to overcome, all of these people were prepared to look for the bigger picture, and the negotiations were held in very good faith.

Judith Downes, Treasurer of AMOC, accountant and first class honours maths graduate of Monash University, was one of the key people in establishment of the Trust. She is shown here at the 1992 AMC ceremony at Government House, Melbourne, with husband Nick, left, and Peter Taylor.

Probably the most contentious matter, that of financial management, was ultimately decided by an agreement to appoint a part-time accountant to the staff. Gordon Preston, a high level pure mathematics researcher himself, and who had worked with Alan Turing in the Bletchley group during WW2, possibly the only mathematician from that group in Australia, wanted pure mathematics research not to be a legitimate part of the work of the new organisation. AMOC did not want the organisation to be dominated by the University, and a rule was agreed limiting the number of University employees on the Board to be no more than four. Professional societies had to have representation to ensure professional imprimatur.

The University lawyers were called in to advise and the consensus which emerged was that the most appropriate legal structure would be a Trust, under the trusteeship of the University. A law-firm style operating company was set up to be able to sign contracts, employ staff etc. This was to be a proprietary company, AMTOS Pty Limited, with two shares, one held by the University and the other by Bob Mitchell. This company would have its own Board comprising a University person and one from each of AMF and AMOC. The original Directors were myself as Chairman, Bob Mitchell and Judith Downes.

Another key feature would be a Finance Committee, with wide powers. It would be chaired by Bob Mitchell and comprise Peter Brown from AMF and Judith Downes from AMOC, and the new Accountant would report directly to this committee.

A Trust Deed was set up as the governing instrument, and was approved and signed by the three relevant parties, the University, AMF Limited and the Academy (for AMOC). The two merging parties, AMF and AMOC would continue to operate with considerable autonomy within this structure as before, have their own assets and balance sheets, set their own entry fees and be known as Subtrusts, with each having a representative on the Board. AMF Limited and AMOC both transferred their assets to a common account, steps were taken which led to the dissolution of AMF Limited as a company and of course AMOC's direct association with the Academy came to a close.

Peter O'Halloran would be the academic leader of the organisation, and was designated Executive Director of Mathematics Activities.

1992: Australian Mathematics Trust begins

The Trust Deed was signed in August and the first, historical meeting of the new Board was held on 14 October. Members of this first Board were:

Professor Don Aitkin, Chairman (Vice Chancellor University of Canberra)
Professor Bob Mitchell, (Assistant Vice Chancellor University of Canberra, himself a Professor of Operations Research)
Associate Professor Peter O'Halloran, Executive Director of Mathematics Activities
Mr Bill Akhurst, (Deputy Principal of NSW school Davidson High School, representing AAMT)
Dr Eileen Doyle, (CSR Pty Ltd, a scientist)
Professor Chris Heyde, (Australian National University, representing the Academy of Science)
Mr Tom Pettigrew, (Ford Australia, Head of its plastics plant at Broadmeadows, an engineer)
Professor Cheryl Praeger, (University of Western Australia, representing AusMS)
Professor Gordon Preston, (Monash University, and by arrangement, since he lived for half the year in England, Judith Downes was accepted as his alternate, representing AMOC)
Dr Peter Taylor, (University of Canberra, representing AMF)
Dr Robyn Williams, (ABC Science Unit)

Later Structural Changes

There were two major structural changes in later years, which were made to improve the administration. These were made in 1998 and 2005. What they were and why they were needed will be written in Chapter 14.