Federal Budget a Missed Opportunity, says ACS
Friday 15 May 1998 - The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has called on the Government to follow through on recent initiatives in the IT arena, cautioning against leaving half finished, projects that are necessary for Australia’s future.
ACS President, Prins Ralston, said that with initial positive reaction to the Year 2000 tax concessions starting to fade as more details become available, the Budget was a missed opportunity by the Government to address the Y2K issue and to further develop key activities in the IT sector.
"The Federal Budget was a chance for the Government to build on its progress in e-commerce and to follow through on the plethora of IT-related reports, all of which have called for strong action to promote growth in this critical industry. It was an opportunity they let pass them by."
With the ratings agency, Standard and Poor, questioning whether this Budget includes sufficient measures to protect Australia from being significantly impacted by the Asian currency crisis, Mr Ralston pointed to a possible solution.
"More aggressive development of the local IT industry will result in growth that has a measurable effect on the Australian economy," he said.
"Over the next few months, we will see both sides of the political arena announcing policies designed to win the confidence of voters for the coming term.
"We would expect that both the Government and the Opposition will recognise the necessity of creating clear policies to encourage and develop IT&T in Australia for our future advantage.
"Let’s hope no more opportunities are allowed to go begging," said Mr Ralston.
This media release is located on the ACS Web site at www.acs.org.au/news/budgadd.htm
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Prins Ralston, ACS President, Tel: (0411) 755 069, Email: p_ralston@ntu.edu.au
Caroline New, Caroline New PR, Tel: (02) 9980 8060 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au
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