MEDIA RELEASE

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ACS to Map the Future of Australia's Information Industries

5 June 1997 - An invitation to participate in mapping the future of Australia's information industries has been issued to the nation's electronic commerce, information technology, telecommunications and digital broadcasting experts.

The call for participation has been issued for the 1998 Information Industry Outlook Conference, to be hosted in November by the Canberra Branch of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) in co-operation with the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism (DIST).

This will be Australia's pre-eminent economic forecasting conference for the emerging information industries. The conference is expected to be a catalyst for national policy on the information technology, computing, telecommunications, the Internet, web and digital broadcasting industries.

In issuing the call, conference chair and Immediate Past President of the ACS, Tom Worthington, criticised recent hype surrounding electronic commerce:

"Electronic commerce won't just happen. There are difficult technical, economic, legal and social issues to be addressed. Neither side of politics acquitted itself well in the ongoing debacle with pay TV policy," he said.

"With the convergence of digital technologies, combining computers, telecommunications, publishing, TV and radio, the "information industries" are emerging to dominate the world economy. Australian must do more than just react to that development.

"We need to bring together the best and brightest to consider options for Australia's economic future," said Worthington.

The conference will consider a range of key issues including:

· How has electronic commerce affected the Australian economy?

· What of the future? What steps should Australian companies and government take to position Australian for an information economy future?

· What newly emerging technologies will become important?

The conference, to be held in Canberra at the Australian National University, will use of advanced information technology for preparation and presentations. Papers for the conference will only be accepted in electronic format and will be published on-line beforehand.

Delegates will be encouraged to read the papers on the Internet and send questions to the authors. The conference chair has threatened to remove from the podium any speaker who attempts to read out their paper, rather than answering the audience's questions.

The costs for the conference have been kept low, to allow wide participation, with advance discount registration as low as $20.

For more information about IO'98, visit the conference web site: http://www.acs.org.au/president/1998/past/io98/

This media release is located on the web at: http://www.acs.org.au/news/canbconf.htm

ENDS

Media Enquiries:

Tom Worthington, Conference Chair and Immediate Past President of the ACS, Tel: 0419 496 150, Email: tomw@acslink.net.au

Caroline New, Caroline New PR, Tel: (02) 9630 2108 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au