A Sydneysider, Kerry Nettle studied environmental science at the University of New South Wales.
With a knack for human communications, she held a position as a youth worker in Western Sydney and later took her skills to East Timor where she worked teaching English and IT. This experience is reflected in her understanding of the need for IT education and broad access to IT resources.
Broadly speaking, although the responses lack detail, indications are that the Greens will support measures aimed at increasing IT skills and resources within Australia while keeping in tune with an egalitarian social charter.
- Would you support further privatisation of Telstra? How will you promote the rollout and uptake of broadband services in Australia?
No. We support innovative public sector solutions to achieve high quality services. We would, however, support an inquiry into the structure of Telstra.
Poor policy planning by previous governments has resulted in the current mess of inefficient duplicated broadband services in some areas and nothing in others. Restructuring the nation's telecommunications infrastructure is vital to address these and other needs. Some subsidisation of specific services in certain areas may be necessary to provide universal access.
- What steps will you take to improve telecommunications access in rural and regional Australia? Since people in low-income urban areas have been identified by recent studies as those most at risk of becoming a technologically illiterate underclass, what steps will you take to improve their access to technology?
We are committed to providing all Australians with the highest quality telecommunications services.
Access to technology is one of many areas of difficulty faced by disadvantaged groups in our society. The Greens will support programs to reduce social and educational disadvantage and to encourage a more egalitarian society.
We would specifically target education programs at low income areas with appropriate levels of funding.
- What will you do to support and promote the uptake of distance education? How will you encourage the everyday use of IT in primary and secondary education?
Appropriately designed programs that meet the specific needs of remote communities need to be funded and promoted (in local media) to ensure that they achieve a high level of uptake and impact.
We support the training of all teachers in IT, the supply of high quality and well maintained IT equipment and the further development of curricula which emphasizes and integrate IT.
- Do you support the Australian Broadcasting Authority's regulation of Internet content? Is the cost of the scheme justified given its effect thus far?
The current content regulation regime needs review. The legislation was hastily enacted as part of a political deal. The Greens recognise the futility of unilateral content legislation, but respect the needs of parents and others to monitor and control content access.
The cost of this current form of regulation is not justified. As a political stopgap, the legislation could not ever be effective.
- What steps will you take to combat the so-called IT brain drain, and to encourage young educated Australians to remain in Australia?
We will ensure that job opportunities in the IT sector in Australia match those in other countries which are taking some of our brightest. We support enhanced university research funding and arrangements to ensure that local inventions are developed and manufactured in Australia wherever possible.
- Do you believe employees' rights are upheld by recently enacted privacy legislation? Will you support a limitation on electronic surveillance in the workplace?
No, employees rights have not been upheld by the legislation, and yes we would support a limitation on electronic surveillance in the workplace.
- What will you do to curb the blow out in Australia's ITC trade deficit, which has grown to $17.73 billion -- triple what it was in 1990-91?
Reverse recent trends exacerbated by government ITC outsourcing. Greens would encourage local ITC industries through govt purchasing, and by restricting monopoly intellectual property/software rights.
- Will you use government procurement to bolster Australian IT companies?
Yes.
- How do you propose to stimulate ITC R&D in Australia? How will you encourage the availability of post-secondary IT training and education?
The Greens would selectively apply tax concessions and public investment to ensure that ITC R&D remains viable and vibrant within Australia.
The Greens are committed to restoring growth funds to TAFE to ensure that high quality education and training opportunities are available to all young Australians. IT training and education would be major beneficiary of this increase in TAFE funding.
- How will you approach Datacasting legislation given the Government's failed spectrum auction in May 2001?
Reverse datacasting restrictions which pander to entrenched media vested interests. As spectrum of all kinds is public property, all access to it should be on the basis of rental with strict and transparent public interest guidelines in place for determining lease arrangements.
Greens policies underrated.
I think the Greens' policies are very fair, and provide good solutions to providing fair telephone and internet access to all Australians.
Their policies also address the errors made by Richard Alston on censorship and digital broadcasting.
I was disappointed that the Greens weren't listed in your poll.
The Greens have full policy information at
<URL:http://www.greens.org.au/>.