Interview

Chatting With Kate

Workers Online's first ever Net night was held in the Yap chatroom this week. Labor IT spokeswoman Kate Lundy stepped up to the plate to talk Politics in a Wired World.

	Kate Lundy

For those who haven;t participated in a net chat before, its a wild, incontrollable beast. Questions and comments come from all angles, piling on each other, until an easy, good-humoured rhthym of communication develops. It's all about letting go and letting the chat session develop iots own life.

Here is a transcript of the session...

Session Start: Tue Aug 10 19:01:40 1999

workers Looks like Kate's here. Thank you all for logging on ... first up

Kate, what are your credentials? When did you start using the net?

Kate I started using the net in about 1994 - Mosaic, fortunately Netscape was available soon after

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workers How do you use the technology in your role as a politican?

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Kate I have my own web page and that is starting to be very useful for sharing information and dialogue with people on-line

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JulianO Kate, how do you see Australian politics developing on the net?

Reggie Do you get many hits on your own page?

Kate I also have a petition and feedback forms

workers In your IT portfolio I gues there's lots of issues ... but throw us a few of the dilemmas you have trouble resolving in terms of policy ?

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Kate Reggie, I have about had about 3000 hits recently, most of which have occured sonce the Online services bill hit the parliament

Reggie I attended a rally in Brisbane earlier in the year against the Bill, I am a union offical and I look after my union web page. Will Reith now be able to come after me.

Kate Policy-wise, our primary consideration should be equity of access to the internet m- this means regional connectvity and skills. All the initiatives on line mean little if you don't have access.

galangal Don't you think there's more to it than just access?

siege Who is the member of the house of representatives for canning/perth?

galangal Sorry to cut accross you 'workers'..Kate...a lot of Labor policians are very tied-up with the issue of access to the Internet and I agree it is important but net net poses a whole range of issues for ever aspect of society .

Kate Hopefully he has better things to do. I think the Govt really underestimated the response to the on-line services bill and hopefully they will learn the error of their ways on IR

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Kate On other aspects, of course - particulalry privacy, digital economy, security etc - what are you particularly interested in?

siege wat other channel r there and how do u join them

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YAPSTER Siege - just start up your own room chipper, I am sure you can have a renegade chat elsewhere

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galangal I think the Internet proposes to findamentally challenge the concept of the National State - accelerate the rate of globalisation

siege kate: who is the member of the house of representatives for canning/perth?

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galangal Furthermore it changes totally the way people communicate - take this chat room for instance - ten years ago the concept would have been bizarre

Kate Canning, Jane Gerick

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workers Hi to those just logging on. we're just charting a few of the issues the net poses politicans - access, content, etc.

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KateGlobalisation - particularly with respect to digital product and our capacity to compete, success means jobs here.... There are broader concepts like the nation state and the prevalence of 'groups of people with common interests emerging across national borders,

Kate I agree, chat provides an amazing opportunity for me to talk with people that would otherwise never occur - email too.

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Reggie I am concerned that people will set up their sites on overseas sites to avoid scrutiny and expenses. Is this a possibility?

galangal It accelerates the rate of human interaction and the spread of human ideas..analogous to the printing press...what challenges do you think this poses for the policy makers...beyond access

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Paul What steps can be taken to ensure Australians can afford to access the net, especially those on low or no income

JulianO Kate should the ALP start to develop futher its 'cyber campgian strategy.' The ALP website was very usful last election but how else could we develop ways to get our message across the net.

Kate There are two themes - one is the changing nature of power - information, once scarce will be prolific empowering many and placing pressures on those who have used previously to assert themselves - also the management of intellectual propoerty - what will constitute value in the future? If it is IP, how will it be shared in a digitial environment?

galangal Reggie - the whole point of the Internet is its global, you can't control it...and it doesn't matter where you are located geographically...one of the key challenges for governments is comming to terms with this

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workers Guys, guys - i think we need to give kate some space! enough questions for a sec.

Kate On the ALP cyber-campaign... There are so many ideas, but I believe the key is to use the web to rebuild relationships with the electorate...The central sites are great but I encourage all elected representatives to explore how they can use the web for themselves

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galangal I agree - freer infromation flow will break down hierarchies - eg just thing about what Austlii is doing to the Lawyers

Kate Reggie, you are right, from a social perspective there will be no homogeneity - everyone will use it differently - this is chaos - John Ralston Saul has a great line for valuing this as an essential feature of a healthy democracy.

galangal I don't see that that our approach towards intelectual property will funamentally change - however I think the Internet will become the main forum in which it is exhanged - sales of books & CDs on the the Internet are booming

Paul Everybody who has access will use it differently, sure, but how can people be provided with access to the net at reasonable cost is the question Australia has to answer

YAPSTER What about the underlying values driving Labor in the Info Age? The orthodoxy has the individual triumpging over the collective. How does our side of politics answer this?

Kate Paul, affordable access is essential - it is almost everyday that someone liken the net to 'traditional' essential infrastructure...

YAPSTER I think the cost is beginning to come down now. It will take a while longer yet, but tv began in the same way...

galangal and telephone and newspaper...books..reading & writing

workers In fact, today's paper has Gates giving away pc's and net access to get people into his e-commrece web ... in a way groups like unions have what the big boys want - a network of people

galangal in the UK they are offering internet access unlimited at the cost of a local call

Kate the values? For labor it is about creating communities of common interest - on-line or elswhere - There is an indecent emphasis on the economic oopportunities and very little on the social opportunities. The Internet is a tool for reducing inequities, provided the policy emphasis is there...

galangal loyalty is where the value is in todays society..in the post industrial age goods like computers and modems are becomming cheaper & cheaper as they are able the disperse their R&d cost over a greater number of sales * galangal smiles at everyone in the room :-)

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Kate For example, geographic isolation is a challenge for cost of connectivity, but the immediacy of the net and interactive nature removes so many barriers.

galangal Everyone is thinking about how the net will affect business and bring down costs..I think that just a sideshow the real game is the communities of interest it will build...beyond National boundries

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* galangal smiles at everyone in the room :-)

Reggie Do you have any thoughts about the growing technical developments to monitor the net and individuals on it, Chip serial & id numbers for instance

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Kate a la clipper chip? - Serious privacy legislation required. I have grave concerns on the incredible manipulation that can and does already occur. Particularly when massive national databases of citizen's data are available with very little protection....

* Guest72878 wants to come inside.

JulianO Kate is there any chance you could get www.alp.org.au to set up a online forum or chat room

YAPSTER I'm just going to make room for some more people *** YAPSTER has quit IRC (QUIT: )

Kate Julian...we have looked at our own chat site and figure it is better resource and access wise to use fora such as this at the moment, but as we continue to experiment, I can see a chat room becoming a regular event in my week...

galangal You're beginning to like it??

workers JulienO; this is what we're trying to get hapopening - tongiht's event is sponsored by NSW Labor Council using the yap chatroom - we also put out a weekly paper which, we hope, will soon have a chatroom .-.that's an online paper of course ..

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Kate I just have to remember to keep an eye on the time - I have to give speech on the Republic soon

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workers no worries, we could almost keep this going without you! one question - what happens to local content in TV and radio when we start broadcasting on the net? how can we ever regulate net content?

galangal I've got to go too...thanks for you time Kate & answering our questions!

* galangal is going to be away from the channel.* galangal forgot to hit the breaks!*** galangal has quit IRC (QUIT: )

JulianO thank you kate for the time you have given up tonite

Kate Ah, content my favourite - if it being broadcast, sourced from Australia, it can be regulated.... of course the way down the track digital content will be prolific and loyalty derived from quality and brand will feature. This is why any investment in the production of quality content now is worthy - public investment...

Kate my pleasure to be here - I don't have to go just yet... on regulation, we can never regulate the net, we can help and support internet users.

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workers But how?? - is it like the ABC model of public broadcasting or an Australia Council model of supporting worthy projects or an Austrade model of finding viable investment ideas ... or a bit of all of these?

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Kate I think a bit of all, there is no doubt that the early movers will attain some loyalty, so for Australia to develop a global reputation for quality content, we need to get to it

workers OK, so if Im a young website designer - how will a Labor government support me get my project up?

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Reggie I have enjoyed the chat but my link is too slow. Lets do this again sometime. I have to go now *** Reggie has quit IRC (QUIT: ) *** Guest69825 has quit IRC (QUIT: )

YAPSTER Kate, When do you think uni students will start doing courses in web content development rather than just design ?

Kate I like to think that there will be a far greater recognition of new media within the arts area, as well as supporting new private initiatives, either collaborative arrangement or start-ups. Nothing specific as yet on the policy front, but it is recognised as being important...

JulianO Kate has the party ever thought of setting up a e-mail list that could let people know, say, once a week on updates to www.alp.org so as to keep people visiting the page and therefore interested in the lastest issues and the ALPs position on them by reading press releases etc etc???

Kate Yes and I think that will become a reality. The ALP national site is evolving all the time. I have thought about that for my own site, but at this stage don't update it comprehensively enough each week with current issues - I usually email those who I know have a specific interest in what I am up too.. I will raise the issue with the national office for their sirte however.

workers kate, Julian - its actually in the pipeline - a weekly news sumary later this year..

workers We've got about ten minutes left - anyone else got an issue they want to raise? I see Fredo lurking silently!!

JulianO oh btw, kate you were great on good news week!

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Kate Thanks I'm still getting over it - the party afterwards was great

Fredo Kate, do you have a position on the republic

workers I reckon Ten's interesting - look at The Panel and Good News Week and its a bit like aan online chatroom - i reckon they're the closest to coming to terms with the new media!?

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Kate I'm a republican.

JulianO get rid of queeny poo

Tim An Australian for a head of state please!!

Kate The ABC is the best at developing relationships between the different media -look at the J radio and web interaction,

workers Especially compared with channel Nine which just treat ninemsn as a billboard with ecommerce opportunities

JulianO here here

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JulianO i wanna be PM one day

Tim So does Peter Reith!!!

YAPSTER Just letting you all know that this time next week, Liz Ellis, of the Sydney Swifts will be our guest - if any of you are into netball or women's sport in general.

* Guest85827 opens the door and steps inside.

Kate To the republic!! Say hi to Liz for me

JulianO but Reith has every worker in OZ hating him

Fredo just as well he has gone to the NO side.

Kate Reith has held just about every position there is on the republic...

YAPSTER Looks like we're running out of sense here ... thanks heaps for joining us tonight ... we''ll be doing regular political yap's ... and if you don't already look au Workers Online every friday at labor.net.au ..

Kate Good to be here - thankyou all

Tim thanks to workers online!!!

JulianO thanks yap and kate and workers online

Kate It is a great initiative - the start of something big

workers bye everyone ... until next time . kate lundy for pm!

JulianO here here

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Session Close: Tue Aug 10 20:05:11 1999

Summary

While the script may read disparately, but after Siege blew the scene, we all walked away with a sense of connection. After all, how often do you sit a chat with another dozen people for an hour?

Workers Online will now organise regular Political Yaps - and Kate has expressed interest in introducing some of her more luddite colleagues to the medium. So watch this space for further details.

   Click here to visit Kate Lundy�s homepage

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 26 contents

»	Workers to Star in Second Wave Rally
»	Oakdale Injustice: Six Weeks Is All It Takes
»	Chook War Widens - Woman Who Walked Wants Job Back
»	Rural Council Workers Push to Quit ALP
»	Push for Action on Millennium Leave Bug
»	Pay Equity Inquiry Sidelined
»	NRMA Candidates Address Union Concerns
»	Ceiling Dust a Deadly Cocktail
»	Sex Discrimination Head Warns Against Complacency
»	DIR Launches Indigenous Employment Unit
»	"Big Drum Up" For East Timor
»	Eric Lee Public Forum
»	STOP PRESS: Fire Bans Lifted But Dispute Not Over

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Piers Fans Fires
»	Some Views Of Einstein
»	Group Homes Sell-Off Fears
»	Privatisation Of Prince Of Wales Hospital Maintenance Department
»	Call for Wage Freeze Action

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