Membership of the National Information Services Council
23 June 1995 (63/95)
I am pleased to announce the membership of the National Information Services Council (NISC). The establishment of the NISC implements a key recommendation contained in the final report of the Broadband Services Expert Group.
The NISC has been established as a high-level discussion forum for broad policy issues associated with the development f the so-called 'information superhighway'. Its role will be to inform the policy debate in government, by encouraging input from members of the community, industry and relevant experts in the field. As with my Science and Engineering Council, the NISC will be an important source of non-government views on key issues.
The new council, which I will chair with the Minister for Communications and the Arts as deputy chair, will provide the Government with access to a range of views on marketplace developments, technical issues and community views on the opportunities and challenges that the evolving services and technologies will present. There is considerable interest throughout Government on these issues and I expect that a number of my Ministers will also be involved in the discussions.
The membership of the NISC comes from a broad range of areas - community, industry, academia and government - to encourage a comprehensive examination and wide-ranging discussion on the issues.
A list of members is attached. Each person has been selected because of his or her expertise on issues associated with information services, and potential contribution to the discussions.
The first meeting of the NISC will be held on 10 August and will focus on fundamental policy issues such as community access; the evolution of communications services and technologies; industry development; legal and community standards; and the international context and implications of new communications services and technologies.
The establishment of the council is an important part of the Government's plan to formulate a comprehensive national approach on information and communications services and technologies. It will play a valuable role by involving Government in discussion with the community and industry on the implications of the 'information age', emphasising its relevance to broader economic and social objectives.
The NISC is also a measure of this Government's commitment to the notion that we can harness the enormous potential of the information age to achieve a fairer, healthier, better education and more productive society.
Mr Roger Allen
Chairman, Computer Power Group,
Chairman, Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute
Professor David Beanland
Vice-Chancellor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Mr John Burke
Director, Centre for
International
Research on Communications and Information Technologies (CIRCIT)
Mrs Lyndsey Cattermole
Managing Director, Aspect Computing Pty. Ltd.
Mr Col Cooper
National President, Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union
(CEPU)
Mr Dennis Cooper
Chief, CSIRO Division of Radiophysics
Ms Alison Crook, AO
Chief Executive, Department of State Development
Mr Doug Elix
Managing Director, IBM
Ms Betty Hounslow
Director, Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS)
Mr Brian Johns
Managing Director, ABC
Ms Judith King
Executive Director, Australian Coalition of Service Industries
Mr Michael Lynch
General Manager, Australia Council
Mr Sean O'Halloran
Director, Network Development, Seven Network Ltd.
Mr Frank Peach
Director-General of Education, Queensland Department of Education
Mr Alan Petts
Interconnect Manager, Optus Communications Pty. Ltd.
Mr John Riedl
Chief Executive Officer, Techniche Ltd.
Ms Judy Slatyer
Business Development Manager, Telstra Multimedia
Mr Ron Spithill
Managing Director, Alcatel
Dr Ockert Van Zyl
General Manager, Telecommunications and Manufacturing, Siemens
Ltd.
Mr Peter Waters
Chair, Communications Law Centre
Canberra, 23 June 1995.