In the past decade, for instance, 85 per cent of all productivity gains in Australia’s manufacturing sector and 78 per cent of gains in the services sector are thanks to ICT solutions.

The heads of Woolworths should be raising their glasses to the power of ICT.  Woolworths has just announced plans to step up investment in its $700 million IT-based Project Refresh supply chain system.

“Woollies” gives the Refresh project credit for generating savings of 4.7 per cent of sales - that’s a whopping $1.9 billion for the 2006-07 year and $7.3 billion since the project started in 1999.

The system until now has focused on the end-to-end supermarket supply chain, but Woollies says the intellectual property it has developed in its supply chain teams, IT systems and distribution centres will now be applied to other businesses in the group, including liquor stores, Big W and supermarkets in New Zealand.

So, here’s cheers to ICT! 

The AIIA 2007 AGM will be held on 18 October 2007 in Melbourne. There are vacancies for five new Directors for the next three year period on AIIA’s Board. A further three Board of Director positions with be declared vacant and will be appointed by the Board for the coming one year.

Of special note, Peter Kazacos has decided to stand down from the position of Chairman and will assume the position of "Immediate Past Chair" and therefore his position becomes vacant and is included in the five vacancies available. 

Key dates are as follows:

Only full members are eligible to nominate and vote.  All full member organisations must ensure that they are financial members of AIIA as of COB 19 September 2007.

Details regarding nominations and election processes will formally be announced this Wednesday, 5 September 2007.

What must we do to secure Australia's telecommunications future?

Join us for lunch on Tuesday 11 September to hear:

• Senator Stephen Conroy, Deputy Labor Senate Leader and Shadow Minister for Communications & Information Technology;· 
• Ed Willett, Commissioner, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission;· 
• Maha Krishnapillai, Group Executive, Carrier & Strategy, Macquarie Telecom; and· 
• Rhavi Bhatia, Managing Director, Primus Telecom.

Currently, Australia ranks 15th on the list of OECD countries for access to broadband services. And we still have download caps on what should be a ubiquitous utility. We all know fast, accessible broadband is essential for innovation and competitive global e-commerce – but how do we get there?

Telstra’s CEO, Sol Trujillo, shared his views at an AIIA luncheon on 30 July 2007. Now it’s time to hear from other Australian telco providers, who will debate our telecommunications challenges and the solutions in this election year.

A healthy crowd gathered in AIIA’s Second Life headquarters last Wednesday to discover for themselves just how virtual worlds are evolving from a simple game into important business tool.
 
David Lowell from Second Life publication SLOz moderated the panel that included the ABC's new media expert, Lisa Romano, Mandy Salomon, Senior Researcher at the Swinburne University of Technology, Grace Roberts, Founding Director of Second Life TV Network and Nick Abrahams, Leader of Technology Media & Telecommunications Group for Deacons lawyers.

Full audio from the event will be available soon, but screenshots are currently available on our website.  We encourage everyone to check them out and listen to the event podcast once it is available.  As they say – watch this space!

AIIA is committed to the ongoing challenge of fostering a new generation of ICT workers.

Peter Shipway is a 21 year old student studying Bachelor of Information Technology (Computing Science) at Griffith University in Queensland.  In his fifth and final year, Peter was a finalist in the 2007 iAwards Tertiary Student category for the Communities for Children e-Kiosk project.

Peter says that while he’s not sure what his future career holds, “there seems to be no shortage of the amount of possibilities from the information technology industries of the world.

"I not only thrive on technology, I live for the way that people can combine their current passions with technology for outstanding results. Digital photographers, musical artists, pictorial artists, large scale blockbuster movies, television shows, it seems that almost every aspect of our world is becoming more and more intertwined with technology in some way, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Read Peter’s blog and see the world through the eyes of an ICT student.

On Thursday 6 September, you may receive a call from AIIA’s membership team, who will ask for an update of your company’s contact details and key personnel.  This will ensure we are sending you the right information to help your organisation get the most from your AIIA membership. 

Our team will ask your company to nominate an ‘AIIA Champion’ who will act as a contact point with the Association.  By nominating an AIIA Champion, you’ll ensure your team receives timely information on the key issues affecting their job roles, plus details of upcoming events and business opportunities.

So, help us help you keep in touch with your Association!