Local Initiatives Show the Way on Broadband
Two local broadband initiatives, Transact
in the ACT and Snowy.net based in Cooma, were
examples of the open, non-proprietary networks needed Australia-wide, Senator Kate Lundy
said yesterday.
Speaking at the Integrated Broadband Workshop Solutions workshop at the Australian
National University, Senator Lundy said the new driver of innovation in the knowledge
economy was the dynamic tension between high bandwidth Internet access and digital content
development.
Broadband created the capacity for richer content while richer content created the
demand for more bandwidth, creating a cycle of creativity and innovation.
But there was an important public policy role in ensuring that the infrastructure half
of the equation – bandwidth – was put in place.
"One of those factors, bandwidth, is determined by communications infrastructure.
"If half the innovation cycle is inhibited, where will that leave Australia’s
capacity to innovate, and participate in the ‘next big thing’?" Senator
Lundy said.
Senator Lundy said this economic imperative underlined the need for universal access to
broadband Internet connectivity as an essential foundation to achieve the aspiration of
Australia becoming a knowledge nation.
"Unless an understanding of the innovation cycle leads to public policy that
enables the dynamism to continue, through a priority on high bandwidth connectivity, then
Australia may well be dealing itself out of the biggest drivers of economic growth for the
foreseeable future.
"Will we even know the opportunities being lost if we don’t invest as a
nation in high bandwidth connectivity?" Senator Lundy said.
A full text of Senator Lundy’s address to the Workshop on Integrated Broadband
Solutions for Metropolitan, Local-Area and Access Networks is available by clicking here
48/00 Contact Simon Tatz 02-6230 0411 Mobile 0418 488295
Australian Entrepreneurs win Global Entrepreneur Challenge
Four University of Sydney students have shown the world that Australians have
entrepreneurial the equal of – if not better than – the best in the world by
taking out an international entrepreneurial prize in the heart of Silicon Valley, Senator
Kate Lundy said.
Sydney Worldwide, Ltd. won the inaugural Stanford University Global Entrepreneurship
Challenge this week, beating out student businesses from 14 countries.
Sydney Worldwide’s business, www.sydneyontheweb.com.au,
took out the major prize, a Hewlett Packard e-scholarship is worth US$150,000 in software,
hardware and business service, The win will catapult the profile of Sydney Worldwide
entrepreneurs forward as successful role models in a growing dynamic entrepreneurial
culture in Australia, Senator Lundy said.
Sydneyontheweb is not only demonstrates Australia’s dynamism and skill online, it
showcases Sydney and local businesses that might never be able to develop commercially
viable websites of their own.
The Global Entrepreneurship Challenge organiser, the Business Association of Stanford
Engineering Students (BASES) is Stanford University's premiership student entrepreneurial
group. The Challenge is a student run, non-profit competition which brings together
submissions from 20 universities from around the world.
"I congratulate the entrepreneurs behind Sydney Worldwide's success. They will no
doubt inspire many Australians entrepreneurs to grow their ideas and businesses, Senator
Lundy said.
47/00 Contact Simon Tatz 02-6230 0411 Mobile 0418 488295
Four months and no explanation from the Australian Cricket Board for
Comets expulsion from the Mercantile Cup
Joint Media Statement: Senator Kate Lundy and Mr Bob McMullan, Member
for Canberra
The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) expelled the Canberra Comets from the Mercantile Cup
more than four months ago and has still not met with them to explain their decision,
Member for Fraser and ACT Cricket Association Vice President, Bob McMullan, and ACT
Senator and Shadow Minister for Sport, Kate Lundy, said today.
"We understand that the ACB has had a lot on its plate but its time they met with
the ACT Cricket Association to explain their decision to expel the Comets from the
Mercantile Cup," Mr McMullan and Senator Lundy said today.
"This is the very least the ACB owes the Canberra Comets.
"The Comets deserve to be told which of the ACB criteria set for playing in the
Mercantile Cup were used as the reason for their expulsion.
"We would like the ACB to explain its decision especially in light of the fact
that the Comets have averaged higher home crowds at Manuka Oval than Tasmanian matches and
roughly the same as in Victoria and South Australia.
"We are also concerned that the positive impact the Comets have had on junior
cricket in the ACT may be jeopardised if they are kept out of the Mercantile Cup.
"We call on the ACB to meet immediately with the ACT Cricket Association and
explain the reason for their action," Mr McMullan and Senator Lundy said today.
46/00 Further information: Tim Benson, (02) 6277 4803 or 0413 525 748
Second GST on tampons and sanitary pads petition tabled
JOINT STATEMENT: Jenny Macklin MP and Senator Kate Lundy
Australian women will be slugged for the first time in 50 years when the Howard
Government’s GST is applied to tampons and sanitary pads from 1 July.
In Parliament today, Senator Lundy tabled a second petition with 12,858 signatures
calling on the Government to make tampons and sanitary pads GST-free. On 15 February 2000,
the Opposition tabled a similar petition with 10,355 signatures, bringing the total to
23,213.
The Shadow Minister for Health and the Status of Women, Jenny Macklin, said
today’s petition represented continued community resentment over the GST.
"The Government has refused to listen, and from this Saturday five million
Australian women will pay more for their already expensive tampons, Ms Macklin said
"These products are health products. The Health Minister, Dr Wooldridge, does have
the power to determine these products GST-free under Section 38-47 of the GST legislation
in the same way he exempted condoms, sunscreens, folate pills and personal lubricants.
"The ACCC has not included tampons and sanitary pads in their GST Expected Price
Variations Guide, so the five million Australian women who purchase these products are
unable to monitor prices to ensure they are not being ripped off, Ms Macklin said.
Senator Lundy, Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs, Sport and I.T, said the petition
tabled today builds on the largest electronic petition ever tabled in the Federal
Parliament.
"It highlights the strength of community outrage against the Howard
Government’s plan to tax tampons and sanitary pads for the first time," Senator
Lundy said.
"Women are actively using the Internet to voice their opinion. Of the 12,858
signatories to this petition, over 7,500 accessed the petition on the World Wide Web
(www.katelundy.com.au). The petition was the inspiration of Katrina Allen, of de jour, who
was outraged at the unfairness of this tax on women’s health products, Senator Lundy
said.
45/00 Contact: Simon Tatz (Kate Lundy’s Office) 02-6277 3334
Latest security breach shows Coalition clueless about digital privacy
Confirmation today that private GST-related ABN data has been hacked into demonstrates
that the Coalition is clueless about protecting on-line information, the Shadow Minister
for Information, Senator Kate Lundy, said today.
Taxpayers Australia Inc, today claimed that details forwarded to obtain Australian
Business Numbers (ABN) and GST registration details were the subject of
‘hacking’.
Despite Labor’s concerns about privacy and data protection, the Coalition has
failed to protect taxpayer’s interests once again.
This latest breach of privacy follows the revelation by the Opposition earlier this
month that private ABN data had been supplied by the Department of Employment, Workplace
Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) to Dun and Bradstreet and Commonwealth Bank.
"The Government should know that one of the greatest impediments to the
public’s willingness to take up electronic commerce and communication is a lack of
confidence in security of their data, Senator Lundy said.
"This latest disaster resulting in a breach of privacy will further damage the
confidence of Australians in electronic information," Senator Lundy said.
44/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
Kelly’s Olympic-sized challenge for sports - the GST
Sports Minister Jackie Kelly is right to claim that Australia’s sporting
organisations and clubs face an Olympic-sized challenge - but it’s the GST that is
the major obstacle confronting them.
"The greatest challenge confronting small clubs and sporting organisations to is
how to cope with the GST and its impact on families participating in sport and
recreational activities," said Senator Kate Lundy, Shadow Minister for Sport.
"It’s all very well for the Minister to say that the Olympics should inspire
sports clubs to increase participation rates. However, the truth is that these clubs are
battling to cope with increased costs and administration because of the GST.
The GST is being applied to sporting registration fees, which may increase costs beyond
many peoples' reach, especially for families with several children involved in sport or
recreational activities.
Membership fees are also subject to the GST. For example, the ACCC’s GST Expected
Price Variations Guide asserts that gym membership will rise by up to 9%. Tennis court,
ground hire and green fees will also be subject to the GST.
Entry fees for sporting competitions are subject to the GST. This has particular
implications for larger sporting teams already paying increased costs for travel and
accommodation, which are subject to the GST.
Admission charges to sporting events will rise under a GST. The cost of a family going
to watch a football, netball, soccer or hockey game will rise.
The cost of sporting wear will rise. The cost of tracksuits, shorts, runners, football
boots and ski clothing will increase. The ACCC’s GST Expected Price Variations Guide
confirms that sporting footwear will rise by 8-9.4%.
Coaching and sporting lessons are subject to the GST. If you want to send your children
to learn-to-swim classes, attend a coaching course or clinic in order to improve your
skills, or learn to be a referee or umpire, then you will pay more under the GST. The
ACCC’s GST Expected Price Variations Guide confirms that sporting lessons will rise
by 7-9%.
"Increasing participation is an important and worthwhile objective, however the
GST is the major challenge confronting sporting clubs and organisations today,"
Senator Lundy concluded.
43/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488 295
Launch of the Australian parliamentary Internet Forum
Joint Statement by the leader of the Opposition, The Hon. Kim Beazley and the Shadow
Minister Assisting on Information Technology, Senator Kate Lundy.
The Australian parliamentary Intenet Forum, launched in Parliament House, Canberra
today, will serve as a non-partisan forum for information sharing In Internet-related
issues amongst Parliamentarians and community and industry stakeholders.
It is modelled on successful Internet Caucus currently operating in the U.S. Congress http://www.netcaucus.org/
"This initiative has been inspired by the need to ensure that the Australian
Parliament is in the best position to make informed decisions on policies and legislation
relating to the Internet," Senator Kate Lundy said.
"It is my hope, that by inviting my parliamentary colleagues to participate in a
non-partisan, informative forum, Australian policy makers will have the best hope of
harnessing the potential benefits of the Internet to Australian society." Senator
Lundy said.
"It is true that there are some notorious pitfalls that rapid changes in
technology can bring about, such as the digital divide if equality of access to the
Internet is not actively addressed by governments".
Kim Beazley, in officially launching the initiative, said: "If you accept the
important role the internet plays with respect to our communication needs, then this Forum
will have an incredibly important role to play in ensuring that the parliament makes
informed decisions"
"There may always be differences in our respective policies, but we need to unite
in our effort to become the best informed parliament in relation to the implications and
opportunities presented in the information age.
"I call on all parties and independents to support this initiative in the
knowledge that community stakeholders and the internet industry will respond positively to
the opportunity to express their views to an organised Parliamentary Internet Forum,"
Mr Beazley concluded.
42/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
Laurie Daley’s retirement
"Laurie Daley’s decision to retire from the NRL and the end of this season
marks the end of a wonderful career with the Canberra Raiders, the NSW Blues and the
Australian test team, ACT Senator and Shadow Minister for Sport, Senator Kate Lundy, said
today.
"Laurie’s contribution to rugby league has been immense.
In 13 seasons with the Raiders, Laurie has played in three winning Raiders
Premierships, set the record for the number of club games, captained NSW in State of
Origin, captained Australia in ARL and Super League tests and won both the Dally M and
Rugby League Week awards.
"The ACT is fortunate to have many fantastic sporting role models within our
community, and Laurie Daley stands out as one of our special sporting heroes.
"It would be a bonus if Laurie continues to be involved in sport here in the ACT
after he retires as he has a lot to offer the community in general, and rugby league in
particular.
"I hope Laurie can finish his career off with a Grand Final lap of honour with his
Raiders team mates!
41/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
Brand and bluster all that’s left of NOIE
Branding and Ministerial bluster is all that is left of the National Office of the
Information Economy, NOIE, the Coalition’s flagship body for their commitment to
IT&T opportunities for Australia," Senator Lundy, Shadow Minister assisting on
Information Technology said today.
"Senate budget estimates has again presented Labor with a forum for exposing the
policy neglect for this critical industry sector - and Minister Alston is
responsible"
"Responding to a question about the role of the Department of Industry Science and
Resources in developing growth strategies for the IT&T industry sector, departmental
officials stated that area of policy was the responsibility of the Department of
Communications, IT and the Arts, Senator Alston’s Department."
"Since the election in 1998, the National Office of the Information Economy has
been absorbed into the general operation of Senator Alston’s department. With it has
gone any remnant of commitment to growing the Australian information and communication
technology (ICT) industries."
During Estimates, we heard:
Senator
LUNDY —…..What constitutes the identity these days of NOIE within the
department? What makes the actual structure within the department different and special
with these changes to financial arrangements? Anything?
Dr Badger —We have retained the branding, if you like, of the National Office for
the Information Economy. For administrative purposes, it operates within the department.
So we get, if you like, the benefit of the economies of scale of working within a large
organisation.
Senator
LUNDY —And that has changed in the last—
Dr Badger —After the last election, that was the change—bringing it closer
for administrative purposes to the department. We have the branding. There is the NOIE web
site activity.
(full Hansard available NOIE
Senate Estimates)
"The only other area of the Department that looked at IT industry development was
the division that is obviously pre-occupied with the expenditure of Telstra profits and
overseeing aspects of the IT outsourcing contracts." (Hansard
reference)
"The devastating results of the Australian Research Council/CSIRO report titled Inventing Our Future,
which rated Australia’s participation in the information economy as only 'fair to
middling' is evidence of the policy neglect perpetrated by the Coalition Government and
the failure of NOIE to achieve its goals."
40/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
Moving ACT Kestrels match a blow to women’s rugby
"A decision to move the ACT Kestrels versus NSW Lady Waratahs fixture from Bruce
Stadium this Saturday is most unfortunate and is a serious blow to the status of women's
rugby union in the ACT, Shadow Minister for Sport and ACT Senator, Kate Lundy, said today.
The Kestrels match, a fully sanctioned interstate clash between the current Australian
Champions (NSW) and the team currently ranked No 3 in the country (ACT), was scheduled as
the curtain-raiser to the ACT Brumbies versus NSW Waratahs Ricoh Cup fixture on Saturday
night.
"This game is tremendously important to the Kestrels. It will influence national
selections and is the only opportunity for ACT Women’s Rugby to showcase their
tremendous talent and skill before a receptive crowd at Bruce Stadium, Senator Lundy said.
"Both the NSW and Qld Rugby Unions have already played women's matches at their
main stadiums this year. The ACT is now out of step with the other major Rugby Unions in
the country.
"While I understand the concerns of Bruce Stadium Trust about possible damage to
the playing surface, nevertheless, it appears that the women’s rugby is being
unfairly treated.
"This match was arranged by ACT Rugby Union over six months ago and the Kestrels
were rightly looking forward to playing in front of their home town at Canberra’s
premier stadium.
"Moving this important match to Griffith Oval is not satisfactory and will
possibly undermine the confidence and standing of ACT women’s rugby union, Senator
Lundy said.
39/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
Ambiguous ‘moratorium’ a smokescreen for a Coalition ban on
Internet Gambling
"Evidence heard at recent Senate Estimates Committee hearings reveals that the
Federal Government is preparing legislative options to enforce a 12 month ban on new
Internet gambling content, Senator Lundy, Shadow Minister Assisting on Information
Technology, said today.
"After the sensible rejection of the Coalition’s moratorium by the majority
of State Governments, it is clear the Coalition is exploring the same legislative approach
to ban Internet gambling as they took in the On-line Services Act.
"This is a far more draconian approach than talk of a moratorium has previously
implied.
"This backward-looking approach defies the recommendations of the Productivity
Commission and disregards genuine efforts by some States to implement a regulated
licensing regime for Internet gambling that pursues best practice and addresses a range of
concerns, including under-age access.
"The Coalition is ignoring and indeed twisting the facts in their references to
the genuine concerns surrounding Internet gambling, and we are starting to hear the same
sort of scare-mongering inaccurate rhetoric coming from John Howard’s frontline
campaigner for moral conservatism, Senator Tierney.
"When will this Government realise their approach to the Internet is ineffective
in solving the social problems associated with gambling addiction?
"When will they realise they are reinforcing the perception that Australia is the
global village idiot?
"This talk of the moratorium is a smoke screen.
I am expecting the worst, perhaps a surprise bill in the parliament that seeks to
impose a compulsory moratorium - a ban - on Internet gambling.
"If only the Government’s efforts could be focussed in more constructive ways
of educating Internet users and encouraging responsible regulations in the appropriate
jurisdiction - the States.
"Labor has many concerns regarding the impact of Internet gambling on problem
gamblers. The difference is that we understand the challenge requires more than rhetoric
and a useless piece of legislation to fix it," Senator Lundy concluded.
38/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
Sports Minister must guarantee future of A.I.S.
Sports Minister Jackie Kelly must guarantee that the Australian Institute of Sport
(AIS) will not be decentralised or downgraded, the Shadow Minister for Sport, Senator Kate
Lundy, said today.
"At a Tourism Council of Australia breakfast yesterday, Minister Kelly refused to
rule out breaking up the AIS, Senator Lundy said.
"Kelly’s cutbacks have forced the AIS to shed over 50 staff, with 17
positions going before the Olympic Games begin. There is good reason to be concerned about
her comments.
"During Senate Estimates hearings last week, it was revealed that the $16 million
cut in the 2000/01 sports Budget is partly responsible for the AIS’s decision to
reduce the number of full time residential athlete programs by 78.
"The AIS began with just eight scholarship programs and in under 20 years it has
grown to the point where it now offers scholarship programs in almost 30 sports. It is a
world-class centre for elite sport and a model that many other countries have emulated.
"While the AIS does have some regional programs in Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane,
Melbourne, Sydney, the Gold Coast and Mount Buller, Canberra has always been the rightful
home for elite sport in Australia.
"The AIS’s 65-hectare site at Bruce is valued at over $100 million and
features internationally acclaimed sport science and sports medicine facilities.
"In the year when Australia is hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the
Minister for Sport should not be talking about decentralising or devaluing our paramount
sporting organisation.
"I call on Minister Kelly to retain the AIS in Canberra and categorically rule out
implementing unnecessary changes that will not be in the best interests of the athletes,
coaches and administrators working at the Australian Institute of Sport.
"The Minister told the Tourism Council of Australia breakfast that the AIS is
‘a foremost tourist attraction for Canberra’. For once she should put on her
Sports Minister hat and recognise the value of having a centre for sporting excellence in
Canberra - which was the reason the AIS was established here in 1981, Senator Lundy said.
37/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
140,000 rural Telstra customers miss out on service upgrade
Telstra have admitted that 140,000 rural and regional customers will be left with a
lower level of service than their neighbours, the Shadow Minister Assisting on Information
Technology, Senator Kate Lundy, said today.
During Senate Estimates hearings on May 24, Senator Lundy was told that Telstra
customers in rural Victoria using the Llanelly-Newbridge exchange would not necessarily
have their exchange upgraded.
"Incredibly, Senator Ellison, the Coalition Minister present at the Estimates
hearing, supported Telstra’s position, Senator Lundy said.
Senator Ellison claimed that Australian’s who own Telstra shares expect Telstra to
be efficient, regardless of the needs of rural and regional Australians. When asked by
Senator Lundy how Telstra’s inability to upgrade rural exchanges like
Llanelly-Newbridge fits in with Coalition claims that rural residents are not being
provided with lesser communications services, Senator Ellison said:
'I don’t think you can run a whole series of exchanges across the country
which are not cost effective.'
"Telstra also told the Estimates Committee that there are additional exchanges
that will not be upgraded as part of a $17 million exchange upgrade that is supposed to
improve services to 500,000 Telstra customers in the bush.
"According to Telstra, the upgrade of these rural exchanges servicing 140,000
customers, is not commercially viable.
"I have asked Telstra to provide the details of all the rural and regional
exchanges that will not be upgraded to provide services such as call number display and
‘easycall’, services taken for granted in the cities.
"Despite the ‘country-wide’ campaign from Telstra and endless Coalition
rhetoric, Telstra continues to shrink their responsibilities to rural and regional
consumers - with the full support of the Howard Government," Senator Lundy said.
36/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-62773334 or 0418 488295
Household use of Information Technology reveals widening gulf between
information ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’
The latest data on household use of Information Technology released today by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals a continuing gap between the haves and have-nots,
said the Shadow Minister Assisting on Information Technology, Senator Kate Lundy.
"The gap between metropolitan and regional Australia, rich and poor, and old and
young in terms of use of computers and access to the Internet has increased under the
Coalition, Senator Lundy said.
According to the ABS:
"Although the Coalition has made a lot of announcements about ‘networking the
nation’, the fact is, rural and regional Australia face communications inequities and
discriminatory Internet charges.
"Overall, Australia has relatively high Internet access, however this masks the
hidden imbalances in regional Australia where Internet access remains disproportionately
low.
"The Coalition has abandoned the communications needs of regional Australia.
"Country people want equal Internet access at the same rates their metropolitan
counterparts enjoy, Senator Lundy said.
35/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
Government confirms ‘give away’ of private data
In Senate Question Time today, the Coalition Government admitted that the Australian
Taxation Office ‘gave away’ private data to information agency Dun and
Bradstreet.
The Assistant Treasurer and the Minister for Communication and Information Technology
confirmed that up to 10,000 records supplied by taxpayers registering for an ABN
(Australian Business Number) has been passed on to Dun and Bradstreet and the Commonwealth
Bank.
ABN Search, a web site created by Dun and Bradstreet and the Commonwealth Bank, was
built using taxpayers records supplied from the Department of Employment, Workplace
Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) two weeks before this information was publicly
available on the Government’s web site (the Australian Business Register on the
Business Entry Point site).
"There is a clear need for the Privacy Commissioner to investigate the release of
this information, regardless of whether this information is being sold or given away,
Senator Lundy said.
"The Government has clearly failed to act on the privacy concerns of over 2.5
million Australians who have forwarded e-mail addresses and other details to the Taxation
Office
"Australians supplying information to the Taxation Office in order to apply for
ABN numbers have not been adequately informed that their private information would be
passed on to commercial companies for ‘test’ purposes.
"The Assistant Treasurer, Senator Kemp, has refused to provide answers to specific
questions about what information has been forwarded to these commercial organisations, and
under what conditions.
"He must come clean," Senator Lundy said.
34/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-62773334 or 0418 488295
Will the real Minister for Sport please stand up?
Senator Nick Minchin, representing the Minister for Sport at Senate Estimates, last
night provided more information about the Coalition’s sport policy in two minutes
than Jackie Kelly has provided in two years.
After more than a year of silence from Sports Minister Kelly, and vehement denials from
her Department, Senator Minchin acknowledged that the Oakley Report, a $270,000 review of
Commonwealth involvement in Sport and Recreation, is indeed the a Government White Paper
on sport.
Minister Kelly’s office has continually denied that the $270,000 Oakley Report,
Shaping Up, is in fact the White Paper Ms Kelly commissioned to form the basis of
Coalition sports policy for the next decade.
The Oakley White Paper, released in November 1999, recommended increasing Commonwealth
funding for sport - a stark contrast to the massive $16 million cut to the Australian
Sports Commission delivered in the May Budget.
This admission about the Oakley Report came not from Jackie Kelly - who is yet to make
any statements about the White Paper - but from Senator Minchin, under questioning from
Senator Lundy.
Senator Minchin also confirmed that the Coalition won’t address the
recommendations contained in the Oakley White Paper until after the Sydney Olympics,
contradicting previous announcements that the Government would make its position known
"in early 2000".
"The sporting community has spent months awaiting any indication from Minister
Kelly about the future direction of Australia sport, only to be faced with Ms Kelly’s
version of the Cone of Silence, Senator Lundy said.
"The Senate Estimates hearings at least revealed who the real Minister for Sport
is, and that the $270,000 spent on the Oakley Report was a massive waste of time and
money.
33/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
$50 m Australian Business Number (ABN) database up for grabs
"At estimates hearings on Tuesday it was revealed that the Department of
Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) intends to sell compulsorily
acquired taxpayer information contained in the new ABN database, the Australian Business
Register," Senator Lundy said today.
The committee was told the Government intends to sell individual taxpayer records for
$20 per record, taking the value of the whole database to over $50 million, based on an
estimated 2.5 million ABN taxpayer records.
Departmental officials said that while the Australian Business Register database is
under the statutory control of the Commissioner for Taxation, DEWRSB have access to it, as
it forms the database underlying the Business Entry Point Service that the Government
intends to launch tomorrow.
"The Government is going to allow profiteering from the exploitation of a very
valuable public resource, the ABN register, by selling information that was compulsorily
acquired from 2.5m taxpayers" Senator Lundy said.
In further evidence, the Committee heard that 10,000 records contained in the ABN
database has been provided to Dun and Bradstreet and the Commonwealth Bank after these
companies requested the data so they could pilot the integration of the ABN records into
their existing database.
"DEWRSB’s decision to release this information to private interests, without
the data being publicly available, has already prompted complaints from people being
contacted by Dun and Bradstreet allegedly having accessed the ABN data, Senator Lundy
said.
"I will be taking the opportunity to question the Taxation Office further on these
matters later in the estimates process," Senator Lundy said.
32/00. Contact: Simon Tatz on 02-6277 3334 or 0418 488295
