Competitions and Privacy |
| 00:04 12/12/2008 |
How many people read the fine print before they enter a competition? Many competitions have a clause similar to:
"Each entrant agrees that the Promoter may use the entry and any personal details provided to the Promoter for any promotional, marketing and publicity purposes of the Promoter in any media without notice and without any fee paid to the entrant."
"... the entrant agrees that the Promoters are reserving the right
to sell, distribute, rent, licence, disclose or reveal, share or pass
the information onto any third parties."
"... you consent for an indefinite period of time for the Promoter to contact you by telephone ..."
That is, you have given your full name, address, phone number and email contact, and in some cases your date of birth, to a promoter who can do anything they want with it. For websites we put up a privacy policy to ensure that visitors know what we will do with their information. In a world where identity theft is common and many people are struggling to maintain privacy, these competitions may just be adding you to a mailing list... or it could be something more sinister.
Is the low chance of winning an iPod Touch or family holiday in Fiji worth the risk of handing over your personal details? Or is it too late to maintain privacy and should we all not care? Should entry be restricted to adults to protect children? Are you getting telemarketing calls because someone in your household entered a competition?
We are working to protect the privacy of people visiting websites, but the same issues exist offline. It's an education issue, but perhaps there also need to be restrictions on who can enter the competitions and what can be done with their personal details.
Valerie Maxville
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ICT Does Matter: A Liberal Party Point of View |
| 14:59 29/08/2008 |
On 25th August, the AIIA hosted Troy Buswell MP and Tony Simpson MLA to present the WA Liberal Party view on the ICT industry and what they would do for it if elected in September.
Simpson views ICT as a potential shining light in the WA economy - worthy of a Minister for ICT, which the Liberal Party would appoint to give true focus to the ICT for government, industry, education and community in Western Australia (applause from audience). Currently there are numerous departments and Ministers with authority over aspects of ICT in Western Australia.
Buswell presented on the state of the economy in Western Australia - a boom unlike anything since the gold rush in the 1890's. Although there is a boom/bust cycle - he considers this to a shift in activity which will not "bust", but needs to be managed to spread the wealth and broaden our economy.
Key factors in managing the economy were listed: resources, population growth, globalisation, food and energy. Considering these, Buswell put forward the four pillars for Western Australia going forward:
- Maximise food production - utilising technology and GM
- Energy - development and optimisation
- Sustainable cities in the North-West
- Innovation and human capital - downstream processing in a broad sense
He indicated that we needed to work on our infinite resources, not just those that draw-down on reserves. We can leverage off the resources industry to build our other industries and capabilities.
Focussing on human capital, Buswell highlighted four areas:
- Housing affordability - "Karratha is symptomatic of everything that's wrong in WA"
- Supporting our educational institutions - setting up WA as the international choice for education
- Creating a business-friendly environment - tax, legislation, industry development, support for technology and innovation. Learning from Queensland and Israel about what impact government can have.
- Importance of Human Capital to innovation and the economy - Changing our paradigm
Then it was time for questions...
Statewide Broadband Network and the NBN - previous lack of progress was blamed on the Federal Government - but eight months of wall to wall Labour has not made progress. We can do the Alberta-SuperNet in Western Australia.
Support for local companies - programs will be in place to keep companies in WA and to make it a competitive destination. This will include changes to taxes, charges and regulatory framework. To have a body for investment into companies as is seen in Israel. Industry experts - not politicians - making the decisions.
Office of Shared Services (OSS) - A full review of the OSS would be held (applause from audience) - Buswell said he had been following the OSS and considered it an utter disaster.
Reflection: We need an ICT policy in Western Australia. The Senate Inquiry was a step in the right direction and had the support of the local ICT Industry. The Department of Industry and Resources prepared the ICT Industry Initiatives 2008-2011 document to implement the Recommendations of the Inquiry Report. Not one item in the document was given funding by the Government. Without a strong ICT Industry, the WA economy with be hobbled - it is time for the WA Government to enable the enabler.
Valerie Maxville
Chair, ICTICC |
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WA Election - Issues for the ICT Industry |
| 17:16 12/08/2008 |
The WA ICT industry is key to efficiency and innovation in all other industries in Western Australia. It is also the greatest equaliser for access to information and government services for those in regional areas of Western Australia.
As the election draws near, we look to the political parties to put forward their strategies and policies on how they plan to build this crucial industry. A starting point would be the recommendations of the Inquiry into the Western Australian Government's role in developing and promoting the local ICT industry. We also need our government to demand Western Australia is well serviced in the development of the national broadband infrastructure.
From the Inquiry:
History: "On 14 June 2006 the Economics and Industry Standing Committee (the Committee) resolved to conduct an Inquiry into the Western Australian Government's role in developing and promoting the local ICT industry as part of the Western Australian economy. The Committee embarked upon this Inquiry because it recognised ICT as an important emerging sector for the Western Australian economy, as an enabler of other industries, and as something that crosses all portfolios of government."
Findings of the Inquiry included:
"The government has a role to play in the ongoing development of the ICT industry as an enabler of social and economic development." (Finding 3)
"Historically, investment by the government in the ICT sector has not been a funding priority. There is now greater recognition of the importance of this industry to our state's economy now and into the future." (Finding 4)
"The Western Australian Government recognises the significant potential for the local ICT industry to contribute to the further diversification and growth of the economy." (Finding 7)
From Hansard: "It is planned that the implementation of the recommendations in this report will form part of the state government's ICT strategy, which will add to the body of work already undertaken by the Department of Industry and Resources. Formal feedback has been sought from industry participants and it is anticipated that this consultation will assist in refining the government's forward direction on these matters."
ICT and Wider Economy: "The move toward the knowledge economy, together with its associated economic and social transformations, is having considerable impact on productivity growth in advanced economies of the world. Not only has Information Communications Technology (ICT) been an important factor in Australia's social and economic development at both a state and federal level, evidence suggests that world-class ICT capabilities will continue to be essential to sustained levels of economic and social development. ICT is not only an important industry in its own right; it is also an essential 'enabler' of development and growth in other industries, impacting upon business operations, government processes, cultural development and social engagement. The corollary to this is that ICT will continue to play an increasingly significant role in the lives of Western Australians."
Government's Impact on ICT Industry: "Government is the largest procurer of ICT products and services in Australia. The most recent ABS survey of government ICT expenditure was conducted in respect of 2002-03. Excluding wages and salaries of ICT employees, government operating expenses for ICT stood at $5,060 million, $2,270 million of which was Commonwealth Government, the balance being State/territory and local governments. However, given the economic and social potential of the ICT industry, both nationally and for Western Australia, and the growing dependence upon technology and communication within business and the community, government needs to be more than merely a buyer of ICT technology. The government has a role to play in the ongoing development of the ICT industry as an enabler of social and economic development."
(All quotes are from the Inquiry Report and Hansard)
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There may be new issues in addition to those raised in the Inquiry. Please comment on areas of priority you see as important to the future of Western Australia.
Valerie Maxville
Chair, ICTICC
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