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Making Australia an unstoppable ICT force

Peter Davidson, Information Age

09/06/2005 14:36:39

The White Australia Policy was at the height of its repellent power, and he was here to do a job for his company which included setting up the workers' comp cover for the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

Having settled in Adelaide where he later married and where his first son was born, he recalls that there were just 27 Indians in the city at the time, mostly students, and however exotic he might have been as a young professional, there was no threat ("because I think there were hardly any non-white migrants"), no tension.

There was an easy local familiarity with India, he feels, because of parallels with its British colonial heritage, commonality in English language, its civil and legal system - and cricket. Christianity too was a connection in his case, having come from western India, an area converted to Catholicism by the Portuguese.

Those influences, in his view, remain as cultural connections unique to the two countries, and fuel his ardour and enthusiasm in fostering closer collaboration between Australia and India, particularly in ICT: "Working together as a properly structured alliance, the result would be an unstoppable force in the world, particularly in Asia."

Australian ICT needs to lift its game in identifying opportunities and welding commercial alliances, he says, and establishing global credentials by achieving Capability Maturity Model (CCM) standards.

He knows about ICT having taken a career turn when a job was offered by IBM in 1965, joining Fujitsu in 1980 and rising to be its CEO and chairman. But getting a start wasn't easy - the IBM offer was conditional on his being able to stay in Australia.

A temporary seven-year extension to his stay was eventually allowed by the then immigration minister, but with it advice that he shouldn't stay too long, just "get some experience and take it back to India" as seven years was all there was going to be.

But the young Roach was gathering some influence, increasingly asked to participate as a non-white "new Australian" in panel discussions and other forums to offer an international view among opinions offered by government ministers particularly on immigration.

It hastened his immersion into the wider Australian community and launched a deepening involvement in immigration, education and industry affairs over four decades, seeing him take leading roles in guiding national policy.

It earned recognition as an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2000 New Year's Honours, as a Fellow of the ACS and a host of other plaudits.

He is a past president of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) and has served on many ICT boards and task forces sponsored by state and federal governments.

Had his seven-year term not been extended again, little of his contribution, particularly to immigration and multiculturalism, would have happened; an attempt to secure Australian entry for his sister as a family reunion entitlement failed despite his efforts but in the process finally gained permanent residency for himself, and citizenship.

Later, when Australia's doors creaked open for a more rational immigration flow, he was able, after the death of his mother, to bring his father here where he indulged a passion for sport, and a daily pilgrimage to church and the TAB. "They're both religious practices."

These experiences spawned an abiding concern for immigration issues, and a staunch advocacy for controlled increases in migration levels to about 120,000 annually to "refresh diversity" and enrich the nation.

He was appointed by Paul Keating when Prime Minister, and his Immigration Minister Nick Bolkus, to chair the Council for Multicultural Australia and the Business Advisory Council on Migration, positions later confirmed by John Howard and Philip Ruddock when in government.

However, increasing personal concerns over policies, particularly towards asylum seekers, family reunion, immigration administration and reconciliation, and a resistance to change by government saw him resign from these roles in 2002.

He still applies himself to a wide portfolio of advisory and management positions including the Centre for Quantum Computing Technology in its search for silicon-based quantum capability, is chair of National ICT Australia (NICTA) and the Australia India Business Council (AIBC).

There are many others, but particularly he described the AIBC as "an affair of the heart - it being one half Australian and the other Indian". His professional life and loyalties are demonstrably Australian, however, and bridles when recalling contrary aspersions from media commentators and others.

"I have been pushing for a long time to get Australians to take more interest in India because it was obvious that it was going to become a huge opportunity, but sadly hasn't moved fast enough or far enough.

"We could have been well in front to take advantage of opportunities, but now we have to compete with the world which is beating a path to its door at the highest levels.

"The fact that China is working to form alliances to combine its production capability with India's services strengths is reflected in geo-politics with China promoting India as a permanent member of the UN Security Council rather than Japan."

It's not too late, however: "Australia has significant leadership in technology implementation skills, a reputation for being able to work hand in hand with mining, finance and other industries - a priceless capability. Others are developing skills but we are still ahead.

"Indian companies are not capable in implementation, particularly when working offshore, and for a time were working with less advanced technologies. They are improving but still lag behind

"With Australian collaboration to provide project management and other skills, the two countries in partnership can offer an unbeatable package to countries like the US, Japan and in Europe where labour costs are 60 to 100 per cent higher.

"It gives customers in the countries options: if they want to keep jobs on their shores, we can operate there, if they feel comfortable with Australia's culture infrastructure and skills then work here, if 24-hour turnaround is required for services, work in India. There's a choice of price and delivery."

While labour costs are fundamental to offshoring in a global market, globalisation is inexorable. There is resistance "and I can't say that there not be fallout in jobs, but protectionism will fail".

But he returns to his conviction that Australian ICT companies must get to CMM Level 5 if they are to compete: "half the world's Level 5 companies are in India and there are none here".

Australia has good relations with south east Asia, particularly in ICT through its membership of the Asian-Oceanic Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO): "Australia and NZ can sit at the same table as equal partners with all Asian nations with ICT as the common link, without the US being involved.

"We are a different, western nation that can bring something special to the table and bid in our own right for partnership business. Australia is pleading for a place at the Association of South East Asian Nations' economic forum, but ICT is already there."

Skills migration and SMEs Having been instrumental through the AIIA in shaping Australia's skilled migration policy, particularly the 457 visa scheme, he sees the importation of talent as important. "When business needs skills in a hurry, migration opportunities are critical and offer a safety valve.

"Our multicultural environment means that we can absorb skilled migrants easily - it's significant that the mass of foreign visitors to the 2000 Olympics just disappeared into the landscape, no one really noticed them.

"European countries like Germany don't know how to handle skilled migration as they have not developed management plans like ours, and are anxious to counter that Australian ethos.

"Yes, there should be controls and standards to allow a process where good employers are able to get things done quickly. The bad ones should simply be stopped."

But what of the future of our SMEs in all of this? "Everyone wants to help SMEs because they have neither the time nor money to advance their business. Medium-sized businesses obviously have a better chance to develop R&D and gain globally recognised accreditation.

Sub-contracting to multinationals must remain an important path to this, even though there are flaws in government procurement in that there are no responsibilities to develop SME capabilities.

But in private sector partnerships, there are opportunities for SMEs to work with the IBMs to develop credentials and references to equipment them seek offshore work or act as prime contractors.

"Medium enterprises stand a better chance of forging relationships with MNCs but all must try, even though its fundamentally difficult. People who don't want to sub-contract to a MNC are wrong - they have to meet the same standards that made them corporations to be ensure their quality of delivery is world class.

"The Partnerships for Development scheme, although attracting some criticism at the time, none the less was successful in encouraging local development, R&D and exports and similar initiatives are needed now."

Some historical details are taken from the transcript of an interview with ABC broadcaster Terry Lane. The source is gratefully acknowledged.