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ACS patron Sen. Richard Alston

ACS staff, Information Age

18/02/2001 17:11:48

In December last year, the ACS announced the appointment of Senator Richard Alston, Federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, as National Patron of the Society. In this issue, we profile Senator Alston and seek his opinions on the major issues facing our industry and profession.

When Senator Richard Alston combined the portfolios of Communications, IT and the Arts to become Australia's first Federal Minister for Technology, he brought the weight of his position as Deputy Leader in the Senate to ensure that IT enjoyed a prominent profile within the government.

While some within the industry questioned whether a barrister was best equipped to represent the interests of such a complex and dynamic sector, others have applauded the Senator's achievements. Senator Alston himself is particularly proud of the Award for Outstanding Contribution to the IT Industry from the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation, which he received in November 1999, and of being voted Best Asian Communications Minister in Telecom Asia's Readers Choice Awards.

"I've always been fascinated by new technologies and the socially revolutionary role of computers and their miniaturisation - not new technology as an end in itself, but in terms of its social implications and utility," said Senator Alston. "There are many dry gulches people have been down in their search to identify killer applications, but you have to be practical and look at whether they will benefit the wider society."

It was the Senator's concern about social issues, and his involvement in overseas aid organisations like the United Nations Association of Australia, Australian Council for Overseas Aid and International Disaster Emer-gencies Committee that first led him to enter politics.

"My involvement with these bodies led me into contact with government on a regular basis and I realised that this was where the real decisions were made. I thought it would be a great challenge and privilege to be part of that and hopefully make a difference," he said.

Senator Alston's legal background furnished him with the advocacy and debating skills, and his natural curiosity and enjoyment of the problem-solving process have assisted him in becoming one of the most senior ministers in Federal Cabinet.

"There's always a solution for everything, although I don't hope to get complete agreement. I do try for the optimum outcome and enjoy accumulating enough information to enable me to feel comfortable that the best outcome has been identified."

In terms of the skills issue, the Senator admits that there are more questions than answers, but he's hopeful that further research being conducted this year will provide some much needed direction.

"The short answer is no one quite knows how big the problem really is. People have extrapolated from the US experience but the estimate we have is a very rubbery figure. That's why the IT&T Skills Exchange has commissioned a comprehensive survey to get a handle on the problem. We need to know exactly where the shortfalls are - it might be niche areas like C++ or Java - it's only once we have a proper sense of the components of the problem that we can start to address it," he said.

"The government's Innovation Action Plan, announced in late January, will also address many of the issues facing the industry, and I believe ACS Members will see it as a huge leap in the right direction."

Senator Alston's leadership of the Communications and Information Technology portfolios has not been without controversy. Issues such as Internet censorship, digital spectrum and online gambling have all attracted a wide range of views and vigorous debate.

"A lot of these areas are inherently controversial, partly because you're standing on the toes of some big players. I think the debate over content regulation was pretty superficial in the sense that there was a group taking the extreme libertarian view that you shouldn't even think about imposing any constraints on activities on the Internet when clearly the public expects you to do your best to minimise things like paedophilia and hate sites and certainly various levels of criminal activity.

"You don't do these things for the hell of it, and only after weighing up all the issues. We're conscious this is a huge social and commercial opportunity and the last thing we want to do is inhibit the growth of the Internet or encourage people to bypass Australia," he said.

Senator Alston sees the ACS patronage as an opportunity to strengthen his association with the professional body and gain some insights into the activities of Society Members.

"The ACS is well respected within industry and government and I knew it would provide me with a an informed and intelligent source of information and advice. I'm also enthusiastic about the Society's plans to stage a series of briefings with politicians to help raise their awareness of the implications of new technologies.

"Politicians are broadly aware of the fundamental changes occurring, but to have a body of well-informed people explaining some of the technical and other aspects will take their awareness to a new level. It might even help to make my job easier," he smiled.