Coonan convenes broadband 'gurus' panel

Stuart Corner
Monday, 17 July 2006 18:10

IT Policy - Regulation

Communications minister, senator Helen Coonan has issued a press release announcing that she had "chaired the first meeting of an Industry Reference Group brought together to work on a Broadband Blueprint for Australia." Curiously she has never announced any plans to form this group.
Coonan staged a low key launch  of the Blueprint in May, announcing it in an address to the regional conference of The Australian Telecommunications Users Group in Canberra, but not issuing any press release to ensure it became more widely known.

She said on Monday 17 July that she had convened the industry group "to provide an additional source of advice to government from an industry perspective to assist in the development of the Broadband Blueprint," adding that: "Industry involvement is critical to ensuring we get the most appropriate framework for the continued development of a competitive and vibrant broadband market."

Coonan said the Blueprint would "ensure all Australians have access to world class telecommunications services within an open and competitive market environment, and that Australia becomes a world leader in the effective use of broadband."

The group comprises:
- Mr Paul Cameron - general manager, IT Infrastructure, Suncorp Ltd;
- Mr Dick Estens - Chair, Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (2002);
- Mr Ross Fowler - managing director, Australia and New Zealand, Cisco Systems;
Ms Ros Hill - manager, eHealth planning unit, Division of Community, Population and Rural Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmania;
- Dr Terry Percival – director, Neville Roach Laboratory, NICTA; and
- Dr Michael Sargent – chair, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

The Group will next meet on 11 August in Canberra. However the minister has given no indication of its terms of reference, if any, what outcomes she expects from it, or when, how long it will endure or how often it will meet.