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Wollongong to host national forum on ICT & Creative Industries
Wollongong’s high tech facilities and great minds will be the centre of attention at a national forum on technology and creative industries next week, with virtual attendees logging in to participate from all around Australia.
The University of Wollongong and local information and communication technology cluster ICT Illawarra (ICTI) will host the latest Public Sphere Camp – the third in a series of public events sponsored by Senator for the ACT Kate Lundy. The event, being held on Friday 28 August, is designed to give the public the chance to discuss topical issues and help form public policy.
Wollongong will be connected by video-streaming to simultaneous virtual events in Melbourne and Brisbane, and technology such as webcasts, Twitter and liveblogging will allow unlimited numbers of people to participate, regardless of their location.
“The Public Sphere initiative is about experimenting with online technologies and methodologies to improve democracy, and give everyone the chance to have input into public policy,” Senator Lundy said.
“The outcomes from the Public Sphere event will be passed on to Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Kim Carr and the ICT Innovation Council to inform new policy in this area.”
Two previous Public Sphere events in Canberra focused on high bandwidth in Australia and on Government 2.0 policy and practices. The Wollongong event will look at ICT and creative industries like gaming, film and digital arts. It is being held in the Illawarra to recognise that regional Australia is an important part of the knowledge and creative economy, after ICT Illawarra lobbied Senator Lundy’s office about the regions suitability.
The Federal Government’s plan for a National Broadband Network (NBN) has increased the focus on ICT issues. UOW’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerard Sutton said the University’s knowledge in the area of ICT would be especially important in the roll out of the NBN.
“Rural, remote and regional areas will benefit from this initiative,” he said. “UOW’s strength in ICT will ensure that it is a major player in the regional uses and impacts on small businesses in such areas.”
“The University congratulates Senator Lundy on this initiative.”
Anyone is welcome to attend the Public Sphere Camp, however seats are limited in the physical component of the event. Anyone will be able to see streaming video online and participate in the event discussion via Twitter, and there will be liveblogging on the day to capture the ideas and external feedback on the day.
Links to the Twitter feed, video feed, liveblogging and live policy documents for the day will be made available on Senator Lundy’s website on 28 August. Visit Senator Lundy’s website for more information.
Media information
The Public Sphere Camp will be held in the iC Central building at UOW’s Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong. The event will run from 9am to 5pm and the best time for media interviews/photos on the day is during the lunch break at 12.30pm. The full schedule will be on the Public Sphere website by the end of this week.
For comment from Senator Lundy please contact Pia Waugh on 0400 966 453 or at Pia.Waugh@aph.gov.au
For more information from the University of Wollongong or ICTI, contact Carly Evans on 4221 5827. See www.icti.org.au for more information about ICTI.