26 July 2002 - Media Release

Coalition’s lack of ICT policy vision gives companies no reason to stay

By allowing one of Australia’s most advanced communications manufacturing facilities to move off-shore, John Howard and the Coalition have shown they have no real vision for Australia’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

Just over twelve months ago the Prime Minister was pleased to open the JDS Uniphase facility in his own electorate, saying:

“…this operation alone accounts for about 10% of Australia’s tele-communications’ exports. This investment here and the R&D capacity has resulted in the generation of hundreds of jobs and … as a result of the additional investment even more jobs are going to be created. What you are doing here is part and parcel of a great surge in the commitment of the Australian people and Australian companies, in partnership with companies from around the world in making sure that our country has a sizeable share of the communications revolution which is taking place.”

Of course nothing is being said now that the facility will be moving off-shore, taking all those jobs and exports with it.

The closure of the plant will see Australia lose over 100 highly skilled jobs and intellectual property developed from Australian universities and the taxpayer funded Australian Photonics Co-operative Research Centre.

The Coalition has had, and continues to have just an ad hoc approach to leading Australia along the high road of economic development. It has no cohesive vision to bolstering Australia’s information and communications technology industry.

This means when international ICT companies re-write their global strategies Australia will be viewed as a backwater. Once again Howard has chosen the low road rather than the high road of sustainable, knowledge-based high value jobs.

Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or the Electorate Office: 0418 488 295.

21 July 2002 - Joint Media Release

Give Young Australians a Sporting Chance: Labor

Western Bulldogs footballers Trent Bartlett and Daniel Cross have joined leading Labor MPs including Deputy Leader Jenny Macklin and Shadow Minister for Children and Youth Nicola Roxon in highlighting the need for young Australians to play sport.

Ms Roxon said a lack of sport and recreation opportunities for young people was contributing to the national crisis in child obesity as well as driving up rates of anti-social behaviour such as drug use.

“Being active is particularly important for young Australians, not only in improving their health, but also in developing the self-confidence and skills essential to helping them realise their potential,’’ she said.

Ms Roxon was speaking at the release of a discussion paper in which she argued the need for a comprehensive national policy that gives young Australians real opportunities to play sport, join clubs and pursue their recreational interests.

Welcoming Ms Roxon’s contribution to Labor’s policy review, Ms Macklin said it was important to the health and well-being of Australian children that they have the chance to lead active lives.

Ms Roxon said that getting children involved in sport or other recreational activities such as dancing not only improved their health but also relieved the boredom and isolation that could lead to anti-social behaviour and drug use.

“The Western Bulldogs’ Care for Kids program is a great example of what can be achieved by getting our young people active,’’ Ms Roxon said. “Across Australia sports clubs and recreational groups work hard to give kids ways to get together and have fun.

“A future Labor government would seek to work with clubs such as the Bulldogs and other recreational groups to give young Australians a sporting chance.’’

Ms Macklin and Ms Roxon were among several Labor MPs at Whitten Oval to attend a major policy forum for Victorian ALP members. The forum is one of a series being conducted by Ms Macklin as part of Labor’s policy review process.

Forums have already been held in Hobart, Perth and Adelaide and others will be held in Brisbane, Darwin and Sydney in the next month.

Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or the Electorate Office: 0418 488 295.

19 July 2002 - Media Release

Coalition and ICT immigration - they’re on the wrong track

Once again the Coalition has betrayed its profound ignorance of the issues facing the information and communications (ICT) sector - this time targeting the wrong immigration program in response to concerns about unemployment, the Shadow Minister for Information Technology, Senator Kate Lundy said today.

“The Minister for Immigration has decided to suspend priority visa processing arrangements for skilled ICT workers, but has not touched the temporary visa program,” Senator Lundy said.

“This means that people not intending to stay long in Australia can continue to enter our workforce, but skilled ICT workers who might wish to commit themselves to Australia for the long term, and form part of our future ICT skills infrastructure will find it tougher.

“Australia has both long term and temporary skilled migration programs which allow skilled ICT workers to be employed in Australia:

“Anecdotally at least, there seems to be a case for the temporary 457 visa program to be adjusted. But instead the Coalition has suspended the long-term program. In other words, it has taken action in precisely the wrong program.

“Labor has always supported fine-tuning the skilled migration program to meet the requirements of Australian ICT industry, and the focus, in response to the current oversupply of labour in some sectors in ICT, should be on the temporary 457 visa scheme.

“The permanent immigration program should be left alone at this stage to ensure that labour market supplies into the future meet demand - it should not be mindlessly stopped. It again demonstrates to the world the Australian Government is not serious about its commitment to establishing Australia as a leading ICT nation, “ Senator Lundy said.

Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or the Electorate Office: 0418 488 295.

16 July 2002 - Media Release

The Coalition must develop an ICT employment strategy

The Coalition’s decision to suspend priority visa processing arrangements for all information technology workers is a poor substitute for a forward-thinking information and communications technology (ICT) employment and training policy.

As far as ICT employment is concerned, the Howard Government is using immigration policy in a crude fashion. With no sustainable plan for the sector, this approach will cause even greater problems in future.

Labor has always supported fine-tuning the skilled migration program to meet the requirements of Australian ICT industry, but we do not agree that this should be a replacement for a long-term strategy for the sector.

The Coalition must begin listening to both ICT businesses and professionals, and it must develop a plan to ensure that Australia continues to have a body of skilled workers that can meet the employment demands of the ICT industry.

For a start, they should get serious and invest in the education and re-training of Australia’s existing labour pool, so that ICT workers are easily able to obtain those skills in demand from employers.

The ICT sector is still expected to be a growth sector into the future, and the Coalition’s constant swinging of the migration program from one extreme to the other is not the way to ensure that Australia has the best and brightest workers.

Labor has always had a forward-looking approach to growing Australia’s jobs market, including in the ICT sector which is a key enabling industry for other sectors such as manufacturing and services.

We want to ensure that in the long term Australia has a body of skilled workers that can meet the employment demands of the ICT industry.

Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or the Electorate Office: 0418 488 295.

10 July 2002 - Media Release

Telstra exploits captive market

The official announcement of Telstra’s phone rental hike has confirmed that as far as fee-charging is concerned, the giant telco has taken its lead from the banks, the acting Shadow Minister for Communications, Senator Kate Lundy, said today.

“Telstra has slapped a two dollar per month price hike onto the cost of line rentals. Australians will now pay ten per cent more per month for exactly the same service they already have - and this is before they even lift up their receiver to make a call,” Senator Lundy said.

“Telstra has obviously taken a lead from the banks. I suppose now the Treasurer will repeat the advice he gave to the customers of the banks, and tell Telstra customers to ‘shop around’.

“Unfortunately for consumers, especially those in rural and regional Australia, there is no other phone company they can use. Because Telstra is a virtual monopoly, they can’t shop around.

“Telstra is a hugely profitable company earning around $4 billion per year in profits. The so-called ‘access deficit’ used to justify phone line rental increases is based on doubtful assumptions. This latest attempt to raise prices and gouge consumers proves the Howard Government regard the phone as an optional luxury for those who can afford it, not an essential service crucial to participation in our society,” Senator Lundy concluded.

Senator Lundy is Acting Shadow Minister for Communications
Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or the Electorate Office: 0418 488 295.

9 July 2002 - Media Release

Telstra Sale: the Coalition will push ahead regardless

The Prime Minister remains determined to sell Telstra, regardless of the standard of services it would provide to the bush, the Acting Shadow Minister for Communications, Senator Kate Lundy said today.

“Mr Howard says that the sale can go ahead once he is ‘reasonably satisfied that services are up to scratch in the bush’, but it is clear that the only concern of both the Liberals and the National Party is the cash windfall they will receive,” Senator Lundy said.

“Telephone and internet services to the regional Australia are inadequate, as are services to outer metropolitan suburbs. Residents know it, Telstra knows it, and Mr Howard knows it.

“The full privatisation Telstra would be a disaster for regional and outer metropolitan Australia. Already inadequate services would get worse.

“A privately-owned Telstra would focus on the lucrative sections of the market and allow less profitable customers to languish with poor service, just as the banks do. It would be a gigantic private monopoly which would be almost too powerful to regulate.

“Nonetheless, the Liberals remain determined to pursue their ideological agenda to privatise Telstra, and the National Party is happy to go along with it, provided they get their bucket of money.

“Labor remains steadfastly opposed to the further sale of Telstra. Our objective is to fix it, not to sell it,” Senator Lundy concluded.

Senator Lundy is Acting Shadow Minister for Communications
Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295.

5 July 2002 - Media Release

ASC plays politics with Institute of Sport

A claim by the head of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), Mr Mark Peters, that athletes will cease coming to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra if the Gungahlin Drive Extension is built is part of on-going campaign of political blackmail, the Shadow Minister for Sport and ACT Senator, Kate Lundy, said today.

“This latest outburst by Mr Peters, supported by local Liberals, over the proposed Gungahlin Drive Extension is further evidence that the Federal Liberals and the ASC to downgrade the presence of the AIS in Canberra,” Senator Lundy said.

“The ACT Government continues to demonstrate their good will by offering to accommodate all of the ASC’s concerns regarding the road development. However, it appears that the ASC is unwilling to engage constructively in this process.

“The latest claim - that athletes will cease coming here if the proposed road is built - is nothing less than an attempt to talk down the AIS within the elite sporting community.

“If the Commission is going to threaten to leave Canberra because of the possible effects of a road then it begs the serious questions: where will they move to and what exactly are their plans?

“I call upon the ASC to stop their political games that benefit no-one except the local Liberal Assembly team.

“The AIS has in the past, and should once again, transcend partisan politics and it is devastating for athletes, coaches, fans, AIS staff and all involved in sport to see this petty game being played,” Senator Lundy said.

Media contact: Simon Tatz on 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

3 July 2002 - Media Release

Abbott’s knee-jerk response to ICT figures

The Howard Government must avoid any knee jerk reaction to reports of job shortages in information and communications technology (ICT) which could cause long-term harm to the sector.

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Abbott yesterday announced the Government had taken action that “may further reduce the supply of ICT skilled migrants” into the Australian market by cutting the number of ICT categories on the migration occupations in demand list.

The Minister justified this on the grounds it may improve job prospects for Australian ICT professionals, despite the fact that his minister’s own department’s DEWR Job Outlook, released just last month, states:

“Demand for ICT skills may remain subdued during 2002, but the growing importance of computer applications within enterprises, especially the Internet and e-commerce, is expected to underpin future growth in demand.”

While Labor supports fine-tuning of the skilled migration program to meet the requirements of Australian industry, we are concerned about the Coalition’s knee-jerk response to what may be only a short-term drop in demand for ICT employment.

As Mr Abbott himself acknowledged yesterday, the number of ICT vacancies is still higher than for any other occupation.

If the Coalition really wants to ensure that ICT specialists are employable, it should adequately invest in their education and re-training. Cutting the skilled migrant intake demonstrates a lack of foresight that will only exacerbate under-employment in the short-term and undermine our ability to grow Australia’s ICT industry.

Labor has always had a forward-looing approach to growing Australia’s jobs market, including in the ICT sector, which is a key enabling industry for other sectors such as manufacturing and services.

We want to ensure that in the long term Australia has a body of skilled workers that can meet the employment demands of the ICT industry.

Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295.

1 July 2002 - Media Release

Can ATO pass electronic lodgement test this time around?

With tax time coming around the Australian public will discover whether the Australian Tax Office has rectified the errors that bogged down its online electronic lodgement service this time last year, Senator Lundy, Shadow Minister for IT, said today.

“Tax agents will vividly recall the nightmare of last year’s experience with electronic lodgement, which caused so many delays that the ATO was forced to extend deadlines for business activity statements,” Senator Lundy said.

“The ATO has had over a year to fix the errors that made the electronic lodgement process such a shocker last year. No doubt tax agents around Australia will be hoping that there won’t be a repeat performance.

“Information and communications technology has the potential to make life easier for people interacting with the Australian Tax Office for a whole range of purposes, hopefully making transactions quicker and more convenient,” Senator Lundy said.

“However, when the kinds of problems that were experienced this time last year are encountered, it puts people off the whole process.

“It is extremely important that this year the ATO gets it right,” Senator Lundy concluded.

Media contact: Simon Tatz on (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295.

1 July 2002 - Media Release

Coalition too slow to develop online security

The Coalition must be quicker to address its disturbingly poor e-security record, the Shadow Minister for Information Technology, Senator Kate Lundy said today.

In a speech delivered to the INSTO “Securing the Future” conference last week, Senator Lundy outlined how the Coalition has traditionally been slow in taking action on e-security.

“I suspect if it weren’t for the Audit Office report into IT Outsourcing and Internet Security making strong recommendations on IT security matters, I doubt whether there would have been any policy on e-security emanating from this government at all,” Senator Lundy said.

Senator Lundy noted how outsourcing arrangements had previously neglected to include specific security measures in the original contracts, and how Government websites had an alarming tendency to be exposed to security breaches.

Speaking today, Senator Lundy said, “While the Audit Office was able to prompt the Coalition into action, it remains to be seen whether they will adopt a pro-active, rather than a reactive approach to e-security. Until then, this remains a black mark on the Howard Government’s e-Government performance.

“In the current international environment, now is not the time for a responsible Government to be ignoring e-security.

“I urge Ministers and corporate leaders to take responsibility for e-security matters in an informed and responsible way, including respecting the privacy of Australians,” Senator Lundy concluded.

Senator Lundy’s speech, “The Policy and Politics of E-Security” is on her website.