Senator Alston told ZDNet Australia in an exclusive interview that "without being presumptuous," he viewed the greatest challenge for his successor, Daryl Williams, as securing the delivery of the second round of funding for the innovation action plan, which attracted an initial award of AU$2.9 billion over five years.
The program -- originally launched on 29 January 2001 -- was formulated to spur the role of science and technology in building Australia's information economy. The centerpiece of the program was the creation of an ICT Centre of Excellence which would accommodate 250-300 academics and researchers across a Sydney hub and "nodes" in Melbourne and Canberra.
The federal government is understood to have just started talking internally -- as well as discussing with key external parties -- the next phase of the program.
While the funding allocation for any Backing Australia's Ability Mark II scheme would have to undergo rigorous scrutiny by the government's expenditure review committee, the credibility of the coalition's commitment to ICT and science innovation would come under heavy fire if significant funding was not approved.
Senator Alston said he "still had high hopes for [National ICT Australia]," the organisation established with nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to forge a way ahead for ICT research and development, commercialisation and education and training facilities. The government awarded the rights to establish and operate the ICT Centre of Excellence to NICTA on 22 May last year.
The former Minister said the government's strategies were essential in ensuring Australia generated and commercialised great ideas rather than get too involved in the manufacture of low-end hardware likely to be commoditised within a couple of years.
Senator Alston also warned that in broadband development terms, Australia was "in the first lap of a 10,000 kilometre race," adding that he was not sure that the killer app was available yet that would drive rapid broadband takeup.
At present, only niche sectors -- particularly educational institutions and hospitals -- were the only ones to really exploit the opportunities offered by broadband Internet access.
Senator Alston also remained unapologetic about his government's moves to restrict access to the Internet, saying they were committed to "try and protect the mainstream as much as we can". The government has so far blacklisted more than 100 sites, most of which deal in child pornography, he said.
However, the government was anxious to secure a balance and had no intention of slowing down Internet traffic or imposing "television standards" on Internet users.
The former Minister expects to spend the next two months reflecting on the next stage of his life, but does not plan to wind down. "I hope to be very busy," Alston said, noting that his father was running his own business at 80.
