MEDIA RELEASE

ACS Welcomes E-Commerce Report

Thursday 2 April 1998 - The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has congratulated the Federal Government on the release today of a report by its Electronic Commerce Expert Group.

Federal Attorney-General, Daryl Williams, announced the report this afternoon, tabling 17 recommendations designed to provide an appropriate framework for advancing the uptake of e-commerce in Australia.

ACS National Vice-President, Philip Argy, was a member of the group and has also prepared a draft bill reflecting the recommendations of today’s report.

"This has been an important initiative by the Government and provides a window of opportunity for Australia to position itself at the forefront of the widespread adoption of electronic commerce," said Mr Argy.

"The recommendations of our report should be widely discussed and then implemented as a matter of national priority.

"The introduction of legislation governing this emerging sector will not only facilitate the implementation and conduct of e-commerce by Australians, but will also avoid uncertainty and remove potential obstacles to its confident use," he said.

Today’s release comes just two weeks before the Government’s Domestic E-Commerce Summit, initiated by the Minister for Communications, Senator Richard Alston.

The ACS has also arranged a Regional E-Commerce Session, to be staged as part of the SEARCC’98 Conference being held in Darwin from 8-10 July 1998.

The regional session will also be chaired by Senator Alston, but will involve government representatives from 15 nations throughout SE Asia, providing an important opportunity for Australia to set the pace for e-commerce in the region.

This media release is available on the ACS Web site at http://www.acs.org.au/news/ecomm.htm

See also Mr Argy’s draft legislation .

ENDS

Media Enquiries:

Philip Argy, ACS Vice-President, Tel: (02) 9296 2054, Email: Philip_Argy@msj.com.au

Caroline New, Caroline New PR, Tel: (02) 9980 8060 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au