Inter-active conference dealing with communications access to rural areas

1/9/97

How the latest communications systems can help provide people across Western Australia with access to new services will be the subject of an inter-active conference in Perth this week.

The conference, called 'Beyond the Big City: Bridging the Communications Gap', will also be available on television throughout the State via Westlink and GWN.

"One of WA's ongoing challenges is how to provide communications access to rural areas," Commerce and Trade Minister Hendy Cowan said today.

"The gap between the services available to people in urban and rural areas has become wider as new technologies emerge," Mr Cowan said.

"It is vital for Government to ensure that social and economic benefits can be delivered to all Western Australians, no matter where they live or work.

"Greater competition - such as that flowing from deregulation of the telecommunications industry - is also a factor here."

Mr Cowan said the Government's recent comprehensive communications audit, its new Science and Technology Policy, its decision to expand the WA Telecentre Network, and the establishment of the Office of Information and Communications indicated its commitment to improving communications across the State.

The one-day conference on Wednesday, September 3, will look at existing and emerging services and how they can help provide education, health, land management and support for business.

"People taking part in the conference will be able to work with the presenters, and each other, at sites around the State to come up with possible solutions to problems and develop ways of ensuring that the latest technological systems are available to everyone," Mr Cowan said.

The Perth venue for 'Beyond the Big City' will be the Wardle Room of the Perth Concert Hall. Rural venues will include most of the State's telecentres and Westlink centres, as well as some hospitals and remote communities which have satellite reception equipment.

Chair of the conference will be Professor Mike Grant, head of Imago Multimedia Centre. The two keynote speakers are Mr John Burke, director of the Centre for International Research on Communication and Information Technologies (CIRCIT), and Mr Mal Bryce, chairman of the board of the Australian Centre for Innovation and International Competitiveness.

Other speakers include Dr Jann Marshall, telehealth co-ordinator at the WA Health Department; Mr Greg Beeston, who manages the Geographical Information System Group at Agriculture WA; and Mr Neil Jarvis, acting executive director of strategic planning and direction with the Education Department of WA.

The West Australian newspaper's communications writer, Mr David Utting, will preside over a roundup of how small businesses are seeking to use telecommunications to improve their competitiveness.

The conference will also be addressed in a tele-link by Federal Communications Minister Senator Richard Alston. His address will precede a panel discussion of the day's results among participants across the State. The conference will be officially opened by Mr Cowan.

'Beyond the Big City: Bridging the Communications Gap' is being organised by the Communications Advisory Committee of the WA Government. Its sponsors are Nortel, the Regional Development Council, Optus, Telstra, Imago, WA telecentres and Westlink.

Individuals and organisations interested in attending the conference should phone (08) 9364 8311 or e-mail promaco@promaco.com.au.

Media contact: Peter Jackson 9222 9595