Internet Society of Australia
A Chapter of the Internet Society
ABN 36 076 406 801
NEWS RELEASE Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) 2000/02 The Internet is for Everyone! 28 February 2000 AUSTRALIAN INTERNET OPPORTUNITIES DAMAGED Australia is in danger of losing key Internet opportunities following the resignation of the CEO of the new domain name administration body, auDA, yesterday, according to Mr Tony Hill, Executive Director of the Internet Society of Australia. "Australia has traditionally been an 'early adopter' of new communication technology", Mr Hill said. "An efficient domain name administration is essential to effective participation in the new global information society and economy. The familiar names, such as '.com.au', are essential to allow easy use of the net and for effective e-business. "In telecommunications, the government has strongly pursued a policy supporting competition. "Consumers have benefited substantially from the telecommunications policy", Mr Hill stated. "And I expect further developments in this area very soon." "However, in the Internet area there seems to be a DIY approach. "The government has failed to provide funding for domain name administration or auDA, despite being able to produce $5 million in funding to establish Internet censorship and the body NetWatch. "Obviously, the major domain names company, Melbourne IT, is frustrated at the situation following attacks on the progress of auDA yesterday. "The attacks are unjustified. The real problem is a lack of funding to the new body from government and other sources. "The resignation of Joseph O'Reilly as CEO of auDA is a severe setback for development of the Internet in Australia, but understandable in the context of such a shortage of resources. "A consequence of this setback will be that Australia misses key e-commerce opportunities and is left at the mercy of large overseas Internet companies. "People could be excused for asking whether the government is serious about development of e-commerce given their lack of financial support for auDA. ISOC-AU calls on the government to put $5 million in seed funding towards auDA as the best prospect for industry self regulation of Australian Internet domain names. Contact: Mr Tony Hill, 0412 128 755, ed@isoc-au.org.au Mr Leni Mayo, 0418 377 937, media@isoc-au.org.au -- | Tony Hill Executive Director | | ed@isoc-au.org.au Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) | | Tel +61 2 6257 5544 PO Box 152 | | Mobile 041 212 8755 Civic Square ACT 2608 Australia | | Fax +61 2 6262 9938 www.isoc-au.org.au | | The Internet is for Everyone! |