The 2000-2001 Commonwealth Budget Web Site is: http://www.budget.gov.au/
Information Technology (IT) doesn't appear to get much of a mention in the
budget papers. Here are some relevant items and some slight cynical comments
on them, prepared after one hours check of the documents:
# Science and Technology:
http://www.budget.gov.au/papers/bp1/html/bs1-02.htm#P191_35323
>The Government has allocated funding of $31 million over four years in this
>Budget primarily to encourage the commercialisation of biotechnology
research...
This continues the emphasis in last year's budget away from IT towards BT.
# Communications and the Arts:
http://www.budget.gov.au/papers/bp1/html/bs1-02.htm#P195_36661
>This Budget contains substantial measures to promote the transition to digital
>television services for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Special
>Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS) and regional broadcasters...
Note that the actual amount doesn't get mentioned.
>Digital television will allow viewers to receive broadcasts of widescreen,
>high definition programmes and interactive entertainment.
This is likely to be as successful as the ALP promising at the 1993 federal
election to provide optical fibre direct to each household. More on digital
TV: http://www.tomw.net.au/2000/iim2000.html
PORTFOLIO BUDGET ITEMS:
# Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts:
http://www.dcita.gov.au/nsapi-text/?MIval=dca_dispdoc&pathid=%2fbudget00%2fp
bsindex%2ehtml
* Assistance for digital television in regional areas:
http://www.dcita.gov.au/nsapi-text/?MIval=dca_dispdoc&pathid=%2fmediarel%2fa
lston%2falston00%2f037%2ehtml
>The Government will provide assistance of up to $260 million over 13 years to
>ensure that regional and remote Australia shares in the benefits offered by
>the new world of digital television and data casting services...
* $10 Million regional communications partnership:
http://www.dcita.gov.au/nsapi-text/?MIval=dca_dispdoc&pathid=%2fmediarel%2fa
lston%2falston00%2f038%2ehtml
>The Government will provide $5 million to subsidise the transmission costs of
>community-based "self-help" broadcast groups in regional and remote Australia
>through a new Regional Communications Partnership...
Will this include Internet equivalents to broadcasting?
* Celebrating our Nation:
http://www.dcita.gov.au/nsapi-text/?MIval=dca_dispdoc&pathid=%2fmediarel%2fm
cgauran%2fmcgauran00%2f021%2ehtml
>Additional funding of $3.2 million provided in the 2000-2001 Budget will
help the
>nation celebrate the Centenary of Federation next year... The National
Council for
>the Centenary of Federation will produce a calendar of events and a new
website,
>which will be a focal point for information and resources for centenary
activities and events.
# Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business:
http://www.dewrsb.gov.au/budget/default.htm
* Business Entry Point: http://www.dewrsb.gov.au/budget/factSheets/bep.htm
>The Business Entry Point (BEP) ... forms part of its broader agenda to
>reduce the compliance burden for small businesses when dealing with government.
>... $6.5 million has been set aside in 2000-01 for further development of
the BEP.
>The Business Entry Point has embarked on a demonstration programme.
Projects in this
>programme are developing the means by which electronic transactions will be
delivered as
>well as assisting government agencies at the local, Territory, State and
federal level ...
Can't comment impartially on this one, as I am a consultant to BEP and
delivering a talk on Intern Payments, 4pm Wednesday in Canberra:
http://cs.anu.edu.au/lib/seminars/seminars00/dept20000510
>From May 2000, the BEP will offer an on-line look up and browse facility
for publicly
>available information about businesses held on the ABR.
But isn't it already May?
# Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/dept/budget/
DFAT didn't have any IT matters of note on their budget web page. However,
the site deserves a mention for the poor quality of the design: with an
excess of graphics slowing down access, the menu of budget items being not
visible on the front page and the use of security protected PDF files
hampering access to what are public documents. This is disappointing, given
the overall excellent standard of the main budget web site.
# Industry, Science and Resources:
http://www.isr.gov.au/media/2000/may/cmr195-00.doc
Appears to have been done in a hurry (no AGLS metadata and a MS-Word file
name on the HTML document):
> Cooperative Research Centres aim to maximise the economic and social
benefits of
>publicly funded R&D for the wider Australian community through formal
long-term
>collaborative arrangements between researchers, governments and industry...
>
>A seventh CRC selection round is being held in 2000 with an expected
decision date
>on successful applications of around late December 2000. Allocated funding
in 2000-01
>is $134 million.
Continuation of a worthwhile program, but perhaps it could do with some
revitalization?
Tom Worthington FACS tom.worthington@tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd A.C.N. 088 714 309
http://www.tomw.net.au PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617
Visiting Fellow, Computer Science, Australian National University
Publications Director & Past President, Australian Computer Society
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