maelorin | Australia Card, and ICT blindness

'Smart card' task force head resigns
ABC News Online: Monday, May 8, 2006.

The Federal Opposition has demanded an explanation from the Government over the resignation of the head of the "smart card" technology task force.
James Kelaher says he resigned over his concerns about the way the billion-dollar project will be run.

...

is followed by

Foreign experts to take on smart card project
ABC News Online: Monday, May 8, 2006.

Federal Minister for Human Services Joe Hockey says overseas specialists will be brought in to help the Government tackle the "smart card" project.
The head of the smart card task force, James Kelaher, has resigned after raising concerns that a separate authority is not being set up to oversee the project.
Mr Kelaher, a smart card supporter, believes the Government should seek independent expert advice on security and privacy.
Mr Hockey says Mr Kelaher could not commit to the project for the long-term.
"The bottom line is this, that I want people committed to the duration of the project," he said.
"It's important to have people who may not have conflicts of interest, or will not have conflicts of interest, and this project is far more significant for Australia than any one individual, including the Minister."
Mr Kelaher says he resigned over his concerns about the way the billion-dollar project will be run.
He says he urged Mr Hockey to reconsider his views on how the high-tech project should proceed.
"I feel quite strongly that a project like this, that isn't set up for success for the outset, is really going to struggle and because I'm a strong believer in this project and many of our stakeholders are, I don't want to see them disappointed," he said.

Colour me not surprised ... after all, it's not as though we don't have any experts of our own, now do we. (Because we most certainly do.)

Consider this in the same context:

Report criticises Australian IT buyers' cultural cringe
Graeme Philipson
smh.com.au: May 2, 2006
Home-grown technology can vie with its international competitors - it's local attitudes that must change.

Last month in these pages I wrote about how Australian software companies are vastly underrated in their own country. My comments were largely directed at state governments' failure to use software developed at home, preferring the option of better-known products from large, multinational companies, despite that software often being inferior and more expensive.
There is a technology cultural cringe in Australia, and it's not restricted to government - in the IT industry it's across the board.
...
"The Australian software industry needs local demand from lead customers investing collaboratively in lead projects," the report says. In other words, big local companies and government users should show the way and buy Australian. But this is not happening.
The report is available at http://www.dcita.gov.au/ict (under"research"). It is an invaluable contribution to the debate.
The unfortunate thing is that it is likely to remain as unknown as the companies it describes.
graeme@philipson.info

Australia Card, and ICT blindness

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