Linux Laptop Good for Presentations

The Sydney Linux User Group meets on the last Friday of each month at Google's Sydney headquarters. Last night there was no keynote speakers, instead six lightning talks. These are five minute talks, requiring the speaker to get to the point quickly, not spending time on who they are or fiddling with slides. I decided to give an update on my Kogan Agora Laptop. As I had my laptop plugged in at the podium, all the other speakers used it for their presentations.

This highlighted one of the features of this Linux laptop: it is very good for presentations. Since purchasing the unit several months ago I have been at events where the presenter was unable to get their laptop to work with the video projector. I simply plug in my Kogan Agora and a perfect picture comes up on the screen and on the laptop. When I commented on this at the SLUG meeting, one of the experts said this was due to the very good Linux support for the Intel graphics chip in the Kogan.

At a previous SLUG meeting I had criticized the Koag for its short battery life, at under three hours. However, installing the Power Manager Inhibit Applet appears to have had the side-effect of turning on the power saving features, extending the battery life to almost four hours.

Other speakers at the meeting (availabel in a video of the six lightening talks) were:

1. How to create an ebook - Marghanita
2. Update on my Kogan laptop - Tom
3. Building an satellite tracking system - Bruce
4. PyCon AU conference program - Tim
5. Prey, finding stolen laptop and Modeling your house - Patrick
6. SpiderOak and other Drop box alternatives - Sridhar

If a Linux, open source or general IT enthusiast, or if you are visiting Sydney and want to see the inside of the Google building, then a SLUG meeting is worth attending. If you can't make it to Sydney, the meetings are streamed live. The next meeting is 26 August 2011, so why not volunteer to speak?

Carbon Pricing Legislation for Comment

The Australian Government has released a "Clean Energy Legislative Package" for comment. This is intended to implement the "Clean Energy Future" carbon pricing policy, previously announced. Comments on the proposed legislation can be made until 22 August 2011.

Two overview documents are provided:

1. Clean Energy Legislative Package - Summary of legislation (PDF 181 KB)
2. Securing a clean energy future: Making it law (PDF 413 KB)

Provided are drafts of thirteen bills:

1. Clean Energy Bill 2011
2. Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011
3. Clean Energy Regulator Bill 2011
4. Climate Change Authority Bill 2011
5. Clean Energy (Unit Shortfall charge—General) Bill 2011
6. Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge—General) Bill 2011
7. Clean Energy (Charges—Excise) Bill 2011
8. Clean Energy (International Unit Surrender Charge) Bill 2011
9. Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2011
10. Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2011
11. Fuel Tax Legislation Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011
12. Excise Tariff Legislation Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011
13. Customs Tariff Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011

One omission from the list of draft legislation is the household assistance to be provided.

Here is an extract of Clean Energy Legislative Package - Summary of legislation:

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2. Clean Energy Bill 2011: Carbon Pricing Mechanism

Establishes a carbon price which is expected to apply to around 500 of the nation’s biggest polluters with:

• rules for who is covered and what sources of carbon pollution are included;
• liable entities’ obligation to surrender emissions units corresponding to their carbon pollution;
• caps on the amount of carbon pollution from 1 July 2015;
• carbon units issued as personal property;
• allocation of carbon units, including by auction and the issue of free units;
• mechanisms to contain costs, including the fixed charge period and price floors and ceilings;
• links to the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), by making carbon credits eligible for surrender;
• linking to other credible emissions trading schemes;
• assistance for emissions-intensive trade-exposed activities and coal-fired electricity generators; and
• monitoring, enforcement, appeal and review provisions.

3. Clean Energy Regulator Bill 2011: Establishes Regulator

Sets up the Clean Energy Regulator as a statutory authority that will administer the mechanism and enforce the law.

The responsibilities of the Regulator include:

• providing education on the mechanism and how it works;
• assessing emissions data to determine each entity’s liability;
• operating the Registry;
• monitoring, facilitating and enforcing compliance with the mechanism;
• allocating units including freely allocated units, fixed price units and auctioned units;
• administering the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System (NGERS), the Renewable Energy Target and the CFI;
• accrediting auditors for the CFI and NGERS; and
• working with other national law enforcement and regulatory bodies, including ASIC, the ACCC, AUSTRAC, the Federal Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

4. Climate Change Authority Bill 2011: Establishes Independent Review Body

Sets up the Climate Change Authority, which will be an independent body that provides the Government expert advice on key aspects of the mechanism and the Government’s climate change mitigation initiatives.

Establishes the Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Advisory Board.

5. Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011: Links mechanism, regulator and other functions

Makes consequential amendments to ensure :

• NGERS supports the mechanism;
• the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units covers the mechanism and the CFI;
• the Regulator covers the mechanism, CFI, the Renewable Energy Target and NGERS;
• public accountability and financial management rules for the Regulator and Authority;
• that emissions units and their trading are covered by laws on financial services and regulated by ASIC;
• that activities related to emissions trading are covered by laws on money laundering and fraud;
• synthetic greenhouse gases are subject to an effective carbon price through existing synthetic greenhouse gas regulation of those substances;
• a refundable tax offset is provided for eligible conservation tillage equipment; and
• the taxation treatment of emissions units for the purposes of GST and income tax is clear.

6. Clean Energy (Unit Shortfall Charge—General) Bill 2011: Procedural Bills

7. Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge—General) Bill 2011

8. Clean Energy (Charges—Excise) Bill 2011

9. Clean Energy (International Unit Surrender Charge) Bill 2011.

10. Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2011

11. Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2011

The elements of the mechanism which oblige a person to pay money are implemented through separate bills that comply with the requirements of section 55 of the Constitution.

12. Excise Tariff Legislation Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011: Fuel Tax Arrangements

13. Customs Tariff Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011

Impose an effective carbon price on aviation and non-transport gaseous fuels through excise and customs tariffs.

14. Fuel Tax Legislation Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011

Reduce the business fuel tax credit entitlement of non-exempted industries for their use of liquid and gaseous transport fuels, in order to provide an effective carbon price on business through the fuel tax system.

15. Clean Energy Amendment (Household Assistance) Bill 2011: Household Assistance

Implements the household assistance measures announced by the Government on 10 July 2011. This bill will amend relevant legislation to increase pensions and allowances, income support allowances and family payments and provide income tax cuts for lower and middle income households. There is no exposure draft of this bill.

16. Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC): Clean Energy Institutions

17. Australian Renewable Energy Agency

Legislation to establish these agencies will be introduced in 2012 following the consideration of advice from the Chair of the CEFC as to governance and investment mandate of the CEFC.

18. Steel Transformation Plan: Steel Assistance

Legislation to establish the Government’s Steel Transformation Plan will be introduced at the same time as the Clean Energy Legislation Package.

19. Other funding measures: Programs

Other funding measures, including the Clean Technology Programs, coal sector assistance, household and community sector energy efficiency programs and land sector programs, will be implemented through the budget process.

20. Implementing Regulations: Legislative instruments

Subordinate rules for the implementation of the plan and decision making by the Regulator. These include :

• Pollution caps

  Jobs and Competitiveness Program details

  Application requirements for generator assistance

  Procedural details

  Auction rules

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Here is the text of "Securing a clean energy future: Making it law":

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On 10 July 2011, the Australian Government announced the details of a carbon pricing mechanism to reduce our carbon pollution and move Australia to a clean energy future.

The mechanism will be made law by the Clean Energy Legislative Package (the Package). The Government released drafts of the key bills in the Package on Thursday 28 July 2011.

The Government will receive submissions and meet key stakeholders and legal experts about the Package.

The carbon pricing mechanism is one part of the Government’s overall Clean Energy Plan. Other key aspects include support for renewables, support for energy efficiency and support for our land sector.

The Clean Energy Legislative Package

The Package:

• implements the carbon pricing mechanism, as outlined in Securing a clean energy future: The Australian Government’s climate change plan, for Australia to reduce carbon pollution and move to a clean energy future;

• sets out how the carbon price will be run, and what businesses will have to do;

• links the carbon price to the Carbon Farming Initiative and to credible schemes overseas;

• provides for assistance to emissions intensive and trade exposed industries through the Jobs and Competitiveness Program and to electricity generators to ensure energy security;

• excludes agriculture from the mechanism;

• sets up a Clean Energy Regulator to run the mechanism;

• sets up an independent Climate Change Authority to advise on key aspects of the carbon price mechanism and the Government’s climate change mitigation initiatives;

• applies an effective carbon price to transport fuels (except for fuel used by households and in light commercial vehicles) through excise and customs tariffs;

• provides a refundable tax offset for conservation tillage equipment; and

• gives assistance to Australian households that need it most, including pensioners and low and middle income earners.

The bill incorporating these household assistance measures will be part of the package of clean energy bills that will be introduced into Parliament later this year.

More information about the Package and related climate change initiatives is in the attached tables.

The development of the Package

The Package will set out in law the way that Australia will introduce a carbon price to reduce Australia’s carbon pollution and move to a clean energy future.

It takes into account a wide range of public discussion, debate and consultation over the past decade on how Australia should tackle the challenge of reducing carbon pollution.

The Government will introduce the Package into the Parliament, which must pass both Houses for it to become law. Before introducing the Package, the Government is seeking comments from stakeholders and other interested parties on the drafting of the Bills.

Links to other climate change initiatives

The carbon pricing mechanism will be linked through the legislation to the Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative.

The Carbon Farming Initiative will cut carbon pollution in the agricultural sector through reducing or avoiding emissions or by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in soil or trees. For example, carbon can be stored by growing a forest or reducing tillage on a farm in a way that increases soil carbon and emissions can be avoided through capture and destruction of methane emissions from landfill or livestock manure.Bills to set up the Carbon Farming Initiative and the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units were introduced into Parliament in March 2011, and are expected to be passed in 2011.

Public engagement on the Package

The Government published drafts of key bills in the Package on Thursday, 28 July 2011, along with commentaries to explain them. These bills implement the detailed policy announced on 10 July 2011.

Submissions on the Package can be sent to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency until 5pm on Monday, 22 August 2011. Before then, the Department will meet with stakeholders and legal experts to discuss the draft bills.

The Government will consider the views it receives on the drafting of the bills before they are introduced into the Parliament.

The Parliamentary Process

The Government intends to introduce the Package in the Spring 2011 sittings of the Parliament. It will then work to have the Parliament pass the Package by the end of 2011.

The Government announced that the carbon price mechanism will start on 1 July 2012. By working to have the Package passed before the end of 2011, the Government wants to ensure that arrangements required for the carbon price are in place before 1 July 2012, and to ensure that liable businesses have as much time as possible to prepare for carbon pricing.

What happens after the Package is passed?

Once the Package is passed, the Government will prioritise the setting up of the Clean Energy Regulator so that it can ensure the smooth implementation of the mechanism.

The Government will also complete the regulations that are needed to ensure that the mechanism can start on 1 July 2012.

Regulations and legislative instruments

Some practical aspects of the carbon pricing mechanism will be implemented through legislative instruments, including regulations.

Regulations are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Government, and provide flexibility in applying laws to businesses and individuals. Regulations can be necessary to give effect to a law or allow for future changes in circumstances to be taken into account, without the need to go back to Parliament and amend the law every time a change needs to be made.

The Parliament has the power to disallow regulations after they are made. This way, regulations remain subject to Parliamentary scrutiny over time.

The Package includes different regulation-making powers:

• regulations about the Jobs and Competitiveness Program and the Energy Security Fund: the detailed design of the Program and the Fund require engagement with affected industries and, later, expert advice from the Climate Change Authority.

• regulations setting pollution caps, price ceilings and floors: before the commencement of the flexible price period, regulations will need to be made to set pollution caps, price ceilings and price floors, taking account of circumstances at the time these decisions are made.

• regulations that clarify issues covered by the law: while the law may apply generally, it may also allow the Government to specifically define concepts or identify situations covered to make it more certain. This means the law can factor in economic changes and changes to business activity over time.

• regulations spelling out what the Regulator may take into account when making routine decisions: the Government may want to ensure that regulatory bodies consider specific issues when making routine decisions. The relevance of particular things may change over time.

• regulations dealing with administrative issues: these typically cover things like the way in which a Regulator may undertake its work, the information a person has to give the Regulator and the way in which they do so. These things will change over time with changes to administrative and business practices and technology.

Roadmap for making the carbon price mechanism law

	Note: this timeline is based on a 1 July 2012 start for the carbon pricing mechanism
10 July 2011	Securing a clean energy future: The Australian Government’s climate change plan
28 July – 22 August 2011	Public submissions invited on the Clean Energy Legislation Package and discussions with key stakeholders and legal experts
August – September 2011	The Government considers stakeholder views and decides the final form of the Clean Energy Legislation Package
September – November 2011	Clean Energy Legislation Package is considered by the Parliament and the Government works to have it passed. Drafts of key regulations will be available at that time.
Before 1 July 2012	The Government prepares, seeks views on and finalises regulations to be made under the Clean Energy Legislation Package which are needed for it to start on 1 July 2012 The Government puts the draft regulations before the Federal Executive Council for consideration by the Governor-General The Government sets up the Clean Energy Regulator and the Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board The Clean Energy Regulator and the Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board start work before the start of the carbon pricing mechanism
1 July 2012	Start of the carbon pricing mechanism Start of the first fixed charge year (the charge is set at $23.00) Start of the Jobs and Competitiveness Program (which requires regulations to be made by 1 March 2011) The Climate Change Authority is established Commencement of the Energy Security Fund
From 1 July 2012 onwards	Ongoing implementation, awareness raising and education about the carbon price mechanism and the Carbon Farming Initiative
1 July 2013	Start of the second fixed charge year (the charge is set at $24.15)
By 31 May 2014	The Government must table in Parliament regulations specifying the pollution cap numbers for the first five flexible charge years of the carbon pricing mechanism (eligible financial years beginning on 1 July 2015, 1 July 2016, 1 July 2017, 1 July 2018 and 1 July 2019)
1 July 2014	Start of the third fixed charge year (the charge is set at $25.40)
By 1 July 2015	Start of the flexible price period The Government must table regulations specifying the pollution cap numbers for eligible financial years beginning on 1 July 2020; if these do not take effect a default cap will apply
By 1 July each year thereafter	The Government must table regulations specifying the pollution cap numbers for the eligible financial year beginning five years later; if these do not take effect a default cap will apply

The Clean Energy Legislative Package and related legislation

Which Bill?	What does it cover?	When will it be law?
	The bills marked with * have been released in draft
Clean Energy Bill 2011*	This is the central bill of the Package. It sets up the carbon pricing mechanism and deals with assistance for emissions intensive trade exposed industries (the Jobs and Competitiveness Program) and the coal-fired electricity generation sector. It contains rules for who is covered and what sources of carbon pollution are included, the obligation to surrender emissions units, caps on the amount of carbon pollution from 1 July 2015, international linking, monitoring, enforcement, appeal and review provisions.	Passed by Parliament by December 2011 with commencement before 1 July 2012
Clean Energy Regulator Bill 2011*	This bill sets up the Clean Energy Regulator, which will administer and enforce the mechanism	Passed by Parliament by December 2011 with commencement before 1 July 2012
Climate Change Authority Bill 2011*	This bill sets up the Climate Change Authority, which will advise the Government on key aspects of the carbon price mechanism and the Government’s climate change mitigation initiatives, and the Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board, which will advise on the implementation of land sector measures.	Passed by Parliament by December 2011 The Board will be set up before 1 July 2012 The Authority will be set up on 1 July 2012
Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011*	This bill makes amendments to other laws to ensure that the mechanism is integrated with existing laws, regulatory schemes and processes. It includes changes that ensure: the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System (NGERS) supports the mechanism; the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units covers the mechanism, as well as the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI); the Regulator covers the mechanism, CFI, the Renewable Energy Target and NGERS; the Regulator and Authority are set up as statutory agencies and regulated by public accountability and financial management rules; that carbon units and their trading are covered by laws on financial services and regulated by ASIC; that activities related to emissions trading are covered by laws on money laundering and fraud; synthetic greenhouse gases are covered by the carbon price through extending existing regulation of those substances; the taxation treatment of emissions units for the purposes of GST and income tax is clear; and the Regulator can work with other regulatory bodies, including ASIC, the ACCC and Austrac.	Passed by Parliament by December 2011 Different parts of this bill will start at different times, depending on the element of the mechanism to which they relate
Clean Energy (Unit Shortfall Charge—General) Bill 2011* Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge—General) Bill 2011* Clean Energy (Charges—Excise) Bill 2011* Clean Energy (International Unit Surrender Charge) Bill 2011* Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2011* Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2011*	These are procedural bills, which deal with the way in which charges are paid under the mechanism. They comply with the requirements of section 55 of the Constitution.	Passed by Parliament by December 2011 with commencement before 1 July 2012
Fuel Tax Legislation Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011* Excise Tariff Legislation Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011* Customs Tariff Amendment (Clean Energy) Bill 2011*	Separate bills will implement other reforms linked to the introduction of the mechanism. These cover: imposing an effective carbon price on aviation and non-transport gaseous fuels through excise and customs tariffs reducing the business fuel tax credit entitlement of non-exempted industries for their use of liquid and gaseous transport fuels, in order to provide an effective carbon price on business through the fuel tax system.	Passed by Parliament by December 2011 with commencement before 1 July 2012
Clean Energy Amendment (Household Assistance) Bill	The Government will introduce a bill to deliver household assistance measures to help Australians adjust to a low emissions economy. The Government announced the detail of these changes on 10 July 2011. This bill will make law the household assistance measures, including: higher payments to pensioners, veterans, self-funded retirees and families and assistance to aged-care residents, Essential Medical Equipment Payments recipients; tax cuts to assist low and middle income families, by tripling the tax free threshold from $6,000 to $18,200 in 2012-13 and adjusting the first two marginal tax rates; and a further increase in the tax-free threshold from $18,200 to $19,400 in 2015-16.	Passed by Parliament by December 2011 with commencement before 1 July 2012 where assistance commences on 1 July 2012. Most of the funding initiatives will be delivered as part of the 2012 Budget process.

Measures being delivered administratively or through other legislation

What is the initiative?	What does it cover?	When will it be law?
Support for innovation	The Government will introduce legislation to deliver assistance to promote the development and adoption of new low emissions and energy efficient technologies. The Government announced the detail of these changes on 10 July 2011. These bills will make law these measures, including: the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), which will invest in the development new renewable energy, energy efficiency and low emissions technologies and the transformation of existing manufacturing businesses to help them meet demand for these new activities; and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), which will be a new independent statutory agency responsible for funding new renewable energy projects. It will take over existing national renewable energy initiatives.	The legislation implementing these changes will be passed before 1 July 2012 and take into account the report of the Chair on the investment mandate and detailed governance arrangements for the CEFC. Most of the funding initiatives will be delivered as part of the Budget process.
Industry and business assistance	The Government will deliver assistance to help businesses adjust to a low emissions economy and take advantage of the opportunities that this will create for them. The Government announced the detail of these changes on 10 July 2011. Specific Bills will make law: the Steel Transformation Plan to assist Australia’s steelmakers adjust to a low emissions economy; the small business instant asset write-off threshold will increase from $5,000 to $6,500 for depreciating assets; The Government will also administratively implement: grants to industry associations and non-government organisations to deliver information about energy efficiency to small and medium businesses and community organisations; the Clean Technology Investment Program to deliver grants for manufacturing businesses to investing energy efficiency capital equipment and low emissions technologies, processes and products; the Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program to deliver grants for metal forging, foundry and food businesses to invest in energy efficiency capital equipment and low emissions technologies, processes and products; the Clean Technology Innovation Program to deliver grants for research into innovation in low emissions technologies, processes and products; the Clean Energy Skills Program to deliver funding to education providers on new workplace skills to deliver low emissions technologies, processes and products; and the Clean Technology Focus for Supply Chains Program to deliver funding to promote and assist businesses to reduce the emissions intensity of supply chain logistics; and the Coal Sector Jobs Package to assist the most emissions-intensive coal mines and Coal Mining Abatement Technology Support Package to assist the coal industry implement abatement technologies	The legislation implementing these changes will start before 1 July 2012 where the relevant body or program starts on 1 July 2012. Most of the funding initiatives will be delivered as part of the Budget process.
Household and community assistance	The Government will assist people and communities adjust to a low emissions economy and take advantage of the opportunities that this will create for them. an expansion of the Low Carbon Communities Program to assist low-income households increase energy efficiency, reduce energy costs and support local government and community organisations to assist them; improved advice to households on energy efficiency and clearer information on government assistance; and the Remote Indigenous Energy Program to deliver financial support to build renewable energy generation in around 55 remote indigenous communities.	Funding initiatives will be delivered as part of the Budget process.
Transport measures	Mandatory vehicle emissions standards will be introduced to significantly reduce the average CO2 emissions for light vehicles in Australia.	Regulations to introduce the new standard are being developed
Regional structural adjustment assistance	The Government will set up a Regional Structural Adjustment Assistance program to make funding available to assist regions strongly affected by the introduction of a carbon price.	Funding initiatives will be delivered as part of the Budget process.
Land sector measures	The Government will deliver a wide range of measures to reduce greenhouse gas in the land sector. These measures include: the CFI non-Kyoto Fund to purchase non-Kyoto compliant CFI carbon credits, which cannot be purchased under the mechanism; the Carbon Farming Futures Fund to deliver funding, with the advice of the Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board, to help landholders benefit from carbon farming practices by encouraging research, developing better estimation methods, funding on-farm abatement, fostering greater awareness of carbon farming and the conservation tillage tax offset; the Biodiversity Fund to deliver funding, with the advice of the Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board, to restore and protect biodiverse carbon stores; the Regional Natural Resources Management Planning and Climate Fund to help regional communities plan for the impacts of climate change and maximise the benefits of carbon farming projects; the Indigenous Carbon Farming Fund to support indigenous communities implement carbon farming projects; the Carbon Farming Skills Initiative to ensure that landholders can access credible, high quality advice and carbon services; the removal by regulation of native forest wood waste from eligible renewable energy sources under the Renewable Energy Target with transitional arrangements for existing accredited power stations.	Most of the funding initiatives will be delivered as part of the Budget process.

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Impact of National Broadband Network in Canberra

Dr Ian Oppermann, Director of the CSIRO ICT Centre will talk on A National Broadband Network for Australia, at an Australian Computer Society meeting in Canberra, 10th August 2011.

Dr Oppermann will also speak in Melbourne 3 August 2011 and Sydney 29 August 2011. On the same topic, Dr Darrell Williamson, Director CSIRO eResearch program, will speak in Darwin 8 September 2011, Adelaide 28 September 2011 and Perth 16 August 2011. Dr Alex Zelinsky, CSIRO Group Executive of Information Sciences will speak in Brisbane 13 September 2011.

Education Across the National

A National Broadband Network for Australia

The Australian Government's National Broadband Network (NBN) aims to deliver broadband communications to Australians by connecting 100 % of homes, schools and businesses. A total of 93 % of premises will be connected using fibre to the home (FTTH) technology, initially offering data speeds of 100 Mbps and supporting future enhancements in excess of 100 Mbps. The remaining 7 % of premises in Australia will be connected using terrestrial fixed wireless or satellite wireless technology as appropriate. It is likely that high speed broadband will offer a transformation at a scale similar to that followed in the introduction of the electricity grid and railway networks in Australia - creating new business opportunities of considerable economic value. People in Australia will be able to benefit from, and contribute to, the growing range of 21st century services irrespective of where they live, and helping to overcome 'tyranny of distance'. By removing distance as a disadvantage for living in rural and regional areas, this may help to reverse the trend towards increasing urbanisation in Australia.

The presentation will provide a brief overview of the opportunity for innovation on Australia's new broadband infrastructure. It will suggest benefits that will accrue from the infrastructure investment in areas of Government services (including health, education and social inclusion) and industry, and support these suggestions with current and past work that has been undertaken by CSIRO using experimental broadband networks.

Biography: Dr Ian Oppermann

Dr Ian Oppermann is with Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, as Director of its ICT Centre. The Centre is a business unit within CSIRO addressing major scientific challenges in Wireless Communications, Robotics, Information Theory, environmental sensing and eHealth.

Prior to CSIRO, Ian headed Sales Partnering for Nokia Siemens Networks’ software business, and was Director of Radio Access Performance Business at Nokia. Prior to joining Nokia, Ian was director of the Centre for Wireless Communications, a research centre in Finland.

Ian has contributed to six books as editor or chapter author, authored or co-authored approximately 30 journal and 90 conference papers.

Ian has a Doctor of Philosophy in electrical engineering from Sydney University and an MBA from the University of London. Ian is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia, a Senior Member of the IEEE and a member of the Australian Instituted of Company Directors.

Ian was born in Maryborough Queensland and is a proud supporter of the mighty Maroons. ...

Blend Public Libraries, Schools, Vocational and e-Learning

This is to suggest the Tasmanian, Victorian and other Australian state governments follow the lead of the ACT Government, by combining the buildings for public libraries, schools and vocation education. This could be supplemented with on-line education resources, to improve education and remove the political problem over the closure of some schools and libraries in Tasmania and Victoria.

On 16 June 2011, Tasmanian Minister for Education and Skills,
Nick McKim, MP released a list of twenty Schools Considered for Closure. This caused understandable concern in the community and the decision was put on hold, 4 July 2011. However, the demographic shifts, with fewer students in some areas and more in other, has not gone away and the difficult political decisions on school closures have been postponed, not eliminated. In the interim funding spent on underused schools will have to come from other areas of the education system, with the Minister announcing $4M of cuts in other programs.

The Minister himself identified part of the solution to this problem in "Tasmania outshines nation in e-learning (27 July 2011). Tasmania has an advanced e-learning system which could be combined with the resources of its state library, schools and vocation training, to provide information and education services across the state. Students and the public could then share the buildings and on-line services. Citizens could also make use of any of the on-line educational resources at home.

Currently many Tasmanian towns have a public library, being a branch of the State Library of Tasmania, a primary school, a secondary school and in some cases upper secondary and vocational training centers ( The Tasmanian Academy, Tasmanian Polytechnic and the Tasmanian Skills Institute).

Educational and civic facilities can be combined, as is done at new Gungahlin Library, in Canberra, which combines a public library, the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) and Gungahlin College. This approach obviously is easier to implement on a larger scale and with upper secondary school than a primary school. But it should be possible to combine such facilities on a smaller scale.

The use of some e-learning will also allow some of the the teaching to be decoupled from student supervision. That is the teachers looking after the students at a location need not be "teaching" them. In fact modern educational techniques emphasize the student directing their own learning, in a group, with the teacher as a guide: teachers don't teach at students any more.

This same approach could be applied in Victoria, where the stae government is reducing funding to council libraries. There would a be a more complex administrative problem in implementing shared library and school facilities in Victoria, than in Tasmania or ACT, as there is an additional elvel of government invoked, with the public libraries in Victoria run by councils, whereas the Tasmanian and ACT ones are run centrally. However, the traditional funding available from shared facilities should more than compensate for any administrative complexity.

Phillip II of Macedonia Has Lessons for Greek Debt Crisis

The book "Philip II of Macedonia: Greater than Alexander" (Richard A. Gabriel, Potomac Books, 2010) is a surprisingly entertaining read, for a book about ancient history. It also has relevance today's power politics of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Green debt crisis.

Gabriel makes the case that Philip II of Macedon laid down the military, economic and political policies which were then followed by his far better known son Alexander the Great.

Having visited some of the places mentioned in the book, it was fascinating to hear about their role in Phillip's campaigns. Delphi retains much of the atmosphere of a sacred place, whereas Thebes does not appear to have recovered from the Macedonia attack on it. Thessaloniki has more in common with Istanbul than with Athens.

Gabriel argues that Phillip was motived to protect Macedonia, by military and political means and this resulted in a national federation of the Greek states and Macedonia. In effect Gabriel argues that the Greek state is a Macedonian invention, the individual ancient Greek city state being too fractious to unite without an external threat.

With the Greek financial crisis, it may be time to rethink what are suitable political units for the Eastern Mediterranean. It would not be politically acceptable to dismember Greece and transfer the northern region to an independent Macedonia and the eastern islands to Turkey, even if this makes economic and cultural sense. However, a looser Greek federation (like the former city states), within the European Union, might be acceptable. This would allow the different parts of the country to be decoupled economically from each other and integrated with the economies of neighboring countries.

Principles for Good Practice in University Education

Greetings from the Australasian National University in Canberra, where I am taking part in a reading group on improving education. This week we are looking at principles for university eduction. Three sets were looked at:

Seven Principles for Good Pragmatic in Undergraduate Education By Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson, The American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, March 1987:

Good practice in undergraduate education:

1. encourages contact between students and faculty,
2. develops reciprocity and cooperation among students,
3. encourages active learning,
4. gives prompt feedback,
5. emphasizes time on task,
6. communicates high expectations, and
7. respects diverse talents and ways of learning. ...

Nine Principles Guiding Teaching and Learning, Richard James and Gabrielle Baldwin 2002, revised by Kelly Farrell, Marcia Devlin and Richard James 2007, University of Melbourne:

Principle ...

1. An atmosphere of intellectual excitement 5
2. An intensive research and knowledge transfer culture permeating all teaching and learning activities 6
3. A vibrant and embracing social context 8
4. An international and culturally diverse learning environment 9
5. Explicit concern and support for individual development 10
6. Clear academic expectations and standards 11
7. Learning cycles of experimentation, feedback and assessment 12
8. Premium quality learning spaces, resources and technologies 14
9. An adaptive curriculum 15

ANU Code of Practice for Teaching and Learning, The Australasian National University, 2011:

All those involved in teaching and learning are expected to:

1. Adhere to the ANU Code of Conduct as it pertains to teaching and learning practice
2. Value and respect diversity (including, for example, diversity of culture, religious belief, age, race, gender and other personal and group-based attributes)
3. Contribute to an academic environment free from harassment, discrimination and bullying, with access to complaint procedures which will facilitate speedy and just resolutions
4. Adhere to the rules and principles governing academic integrity
5. Contribute to the academic distinctiveness of the University which is characterised by
6. Teaching based in research and scholarship
7. National and international orientation of courses and course content
8. A climate of intellectual rigour
9. A program which blends fundamental, professional and contextual learning
10. High levels of communication between the University, its staff and students
11. Continuous improvement of the University's teaching quality.
12. Recognise the importance of flexible access to lecture content for the purposes of the University's equity targets and teaching objectives.

The ANU principles are more general and at an higher level than the Melbourne ones and from James and Baldwin. There is then a "Best Practice Framework for successful coursework teaching".

ACT Government Virtual Community Cabinet

The ACT Government ran a "Virtual Community Cabinet" using Twitter 26 July 2011. For an hour Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and other ministers answered questions as @ACTVCC.

This is an excellent initiative, but the government should take it further and use a format like ABC TV's Q&A ("Qanda") program. That is live video streaming and a live audience, as well as the Twitter feed. That way the virtual community cabinet could be blended with a live face to face one, rather than run separately. This could the same technology and techniques as Senator Lundy's "Public Sphere" events.

Also the ACT Government needs to create a web page about the community cabinets in general and put details of the virtual ones there as well. The law requires that records of these meetings are kept (as with any government meeting). I teach how to keep electronic records at the ANU. Most of these records can be placed on the web site and made public. This could be modeled on the Queensland Government Community Cabinet.

Firedocs eLML Editor for Ebooks and e-Learning Packages

It is the start of second semester at ANU and my colleagues are putting the finishing touches to their course materials (I am revising my green ICT course for next semester). This has prompted much discussion of suitable tools and formats for e-documents for learning. LaTex is a popular typesetting package with computer scientists (having been written by one). This can produce not only documents for printing, but also well formatted web pages and slides. It occurred to me that there may be some Latex to ePub or IMS Content Package tools. I did not find any of those but did find the Firedocs eLML Editor.

The eLesson Markup Language (eLML) is an XML based format originally developed for a Geographic Information Systems learning project. What got my attention was that the editor for eLML was integrated with the Firefox web browser and the output could be converted ePub eBook format and the IMS Content Package format used by Learning Management Systems, such as Moodle.

Installing the Firedocs editor was simple, but I found I could not actually edit anything. What was not clear was if I also needed to install eLML and/or Eclipse (for version control and file management).

Stern Landing Vessels for Australian Military

Sea Transport Corporation has proposed a militarized version of their Stern Landing Vessel (SLV) for use as a heavy landing craft for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The SLV design has been used for civilian passenger ferries. The vessel has a conventional "V" shaped bow at one end and a ramp at the other. This way the ship can travel efficiently in heavy seas and need only back into the beach to unload.

The 65m vessel depicted would have a payload of 400 tons for the ADF Landing Craft Heavy Replacement (Phase 5 t JP 2048 Phase 3 of Amphibious Watercraft Replacement). The 2000Kw propulsion would give a speed of 15 knots and range of 2600 n miles with 83T fuel. This is about twice the capacity and speed of the current Balikpapan class LCH (Landing Craft, Heavy), over a similar range.

The SLV design has an open vehicle deck, typical of military landing craft. However, landing craft of the RAN tend to be used for general duties and rarely for beach landings. It might therefore make sense to build them with a covered vehicle deck. There would be space for a passenger deck behind the bridge (as with the JHSV) and a medium sized helipad above the rear vehicle deck. This would restrict the view from the bridge when beach landing, but video cameras could be used, along with large format high resolution flat screen displays to provide virtual windows on the bridge (also providing some protection for the crew).

The covered vehicle deck would be able to hold ISO shipping container sized equipment modules, as used on littoral combat ships. This would make for a versatile general purpose ship.

Supplying Water and Electricity to an Indian Town

First year engineering students will present designs for supplying water and power to an Indian village, at the Australian National University in Canberra, 1 Aug 2011 as part of National Engineering Week:

During 2011, Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) is working with its partner Pitchandikulam Forest and the community of Devikulam in south-east India on the 2011 EWB Challenge. Over 8,000 first year university students across Australasia will be involved with the EWB Challenge to develop solutions to challenges identified by Devikulam including water and electricity supply, clean cooking and housing construction.

The top four teams from the Australian National University (ANU) Research School of Engineering will present the solutions they have developed. The top team will be selected which could then represent the ACT Region as one of the teams from around Australasia to present at a national conference in December. Engineers, those interested in community development, and members of the general public are welcome to see how engineers of the future can incorporate innovation and sustainable community development into all of their work. ...

Air Crash Investigation Lab Tour

As part of Engineering Week, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is providing a free tour of its “Air Crash Investigation Laboratory” in Canberra, on 1 Aug 2011:

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), in the spirit of Engineering Week 2011, extends an open invitation to interested members of the community, to visit its Canberra technical facilities.

This is an opportunity for a glimpse behind the scenes of Australia’s premiere transport safety investigation agency. In these limited-numbers sessions, experienced investigators will give you an insight into contemporary no-blame investigation methods and the application of advanced forensic engineering techniques. The ATSB maintains several advanced engineering laboratories dedicated to the recovery of evidence from accident wreckage, engineered systems and the ever-important ‘black box’ flight recorders. ...

Creative Practice at University of Canberra

The exhibition "Creative Practice Artists and Design Staff — Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra" is at the Belconnen Arts Centre in Canberra until 7 August 2011. This shows not only finished works by the artists but also books about how they teach art. There is a "Meet the artists" 31 July at 3:00pm.

Of particular interest was the book "Bio-ID4S: Biomimicry in Industrial Design for Sustainability: An Integrated Teaching-and-Learning Method" by Industrial Design er, Carlos Alberto Montana Hoyos:

Our design, production and consumption patterns must be redefined to address the new challenges faced by our society. Problems generated by traditional "industrial production" cannot be solved with the same "industrial" thinking paradigms. Eco-Design (Design for the Environment, DfE) has been widely developed and is currently taught and used in many design fields. However, DfE has recently evolved to Design for Sustainability (DfS, D4S) which not only considers environmental, but also social and economic aspects. This book discusses the use of Biomimicry as a tool for D4S. Historically, many types of bio-inspired design have imitated form and function from nature. Today, imitation of processes or ecosystems is proving very useful in rethinking our world. Biomimicry is redefining the way we design products and services. Diverse study cases in industry and education were analyzed and discussed. The book provides insight into new and exciting multidisciplinary design possibilities and is especially useful for biologists and ecologists interested in design, as well as designers, students, educators, and anybody interested in new ways to make our world more sustainable.

Creative Practice
Artists and Design Staff — Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra

22 July–7 August » Gallery

An exhibition showcasing the practice-led research of artists and design staff from the University of Canberra. These artists/academics explore the perception, experience and transformation of the world we create, particularly our national capital. Featuring: Stephen Barrass, Greg Battye, Livio Bonolo, Sandra Burr, Ann Cleary, Peter Copeman, Digital Design Research Group, Dianne Firth, Stephen Firth, Chris Hardy, Geoff Hinchcliffe, Bob Miller, Carlos Montana Hoyos, Lisa Scharoun, Jen Webb, Mitchell Whitelaw and Jordan Williams.
Exhibition opening > Friday 22 July > 6:00pm

Online Innovation Needed for ACT Government

Yesterday I visited the Belconnen Arts Center to see the latest exhibition. Instead of an arts talk there was Mr Andrew Cappie-Wood, head of the ACT Public service, discussing reforms to the structure of Canberra's government. The changes streamline the structure of government to make it more like a city council delivering services, rather than a state government.

While the content of what Mr. Cappie-Wood was saying made sense, the way the information was being delivered could be improved. He explained that the Chief Minister had used the web to deliver a clear whole of government policy direction. This is an approach which Mr. Cappie-Wood could do well to emulate. Just standing up talking in front of a small group of people, on a Saturday afternoon, with no visual aids is not the most effective way to communicate a message to citizens (several in the audience appeared to be asleep).

After the talk I searched the ACT Government web site, but was not able to find a copy of Mr. Cappie-Wood's presentation on-line.

I suggest the ACT Chief Minister issue a direction to the ACT Public service requiring at least the text of public presentations to be placed on the ACT Government's web site, the same day the presentation is made. It would be useful if audio and visuals were also provided. But it should be feasible to have at least the text provided the same day.

It would also be useful for the ACT's senior public servants and any others required to give presentation, to undertake a training in modern communication skills. This would include the use of visual aids and the principles of the use of social networking and podcasts.

Public presentations which consist of someone just standing and talking are a waste of public money as they do not communicate effectively. This also discriminates against the citizens who cannot attend that event and those who can't hear. This practice should be eliminated from the ACT Government and all governments.

The federal government has numerous good examples of how to communicate to the public on-line and also how to make this a two way conversation. One example is the AGIMO Blog. There are also some details in my course "Electronic Document and Records Management".

Clean Energy Future Videos

The Australian Government has released a series of videos as part of its "Clean Energy Future" strategy.

1. Length: 1:05 Prime Minister Julia Gillard launches the Clean Energy Future website


2. Length: 1:20 Minister Combet introduces Australia's plan for a clean energy future
   


3. Length: 1:17 What are the benefits of a carbon price?


4. Length: 1:35 How does carbon pricing work?


5. Length: 1:26 Why act on carbon pollution now?
   


6. Length: 2:00 Professor Will Steffen explains the impacts of climate change
   


7. Length: 1:28 Case study: Geothermal energy
   


8. Length: 2:04 Case study: Solving Australia's energy puzzle
   


9. Length: 2:11 Case study: Opportunities in renewables
   


10. Length: 0:31 Household Assistance
    


11. Length: 0:46 Cutting Carbon Pollution
    


12. Length: 0:46 Creating a Clean Energy Future
    


13. Length: 1:01 Australia's Clean Energy Future
    


14. Length: 0:46 Cutting Carbon Pollution
    


15. Length: 0:46 Creating a Clean Energy Future
    


16. Length: 0:46 Household Assistance
    


17. Length: 0:45 Mark Dreyfus provides energy efficiency tips
    


18. Length: 1:20 Minister Combet introduces Australia's plan for a clean energy future
    


19. Length: 2:00 Professor Will Steffen explains the impacts of climate change
    


20. Length: 0:52 Household assistance: singles
    


21. Length: 0:59 Household assistance: families
    


22. Length: 1:11 Household assistance: self-funded retirees
    


23. Length: 1:17 What are the benefits of a carbon price?
    


24. Length: 1:35 How does carbon pricing work?
    


25. Length: 1:26 Why act on carbon pollution now?
    

City Edge Apartment

Noticed that one of the apartments in the city edge complex in O'Connor, Canberra, is for sale. This is a mirror image of my own, with exactly the same colour scheme. It is on the ground floor, with a balcony looking onto the street. Last week there was a tall hedge along the whole front of the building, screening the ground floor bedrooms. But this was encroaching on the footpath and in being replanted with a more suitable screening plants. In the interim it looks a little bare.

e-Learning Course on Green ICT Strategies: Part 17 - Format

After looking at sustainability skills updates (Part 16), I started some updates of the Green Technology Strategies course using the Moodle Book module. However, this has only limited support for features such as Harvard style references. So I stopped to consider what other publishing software could be used. The course notes are used by the students on-line in Moodle, so Moodle is most convenient for the students to use (and for me to make quick corrections to the material). But Moodle also supports IMS Content packages, which can be created by other software.

AContent

The obvious choice for creating an ISM Content Package is AContent. This is a free open source product, like Moodle and creates IMS content packages. However, there does not appear to be any concept of a referecne (Harvard or otherwise) in the IMS format, not support for these in AContent. Also there is no support for e-book formats, such as EPub in AContent.

Sigil

Another open source e-book creation tool is Sigil . This is an editor for EPub format ebooks. I would be able to create the content with Sigil's XHTML editor and then copy the content to Moodle's Book module. However, I was surprised to find that Sigil (and the EPub format) does not support references either.

Calibre

Calibre is a free ebook management tool. While it can't create content on its own, it should prove useful for converting between formats.

Back to Moodle Book

After installing and trying Sigil and Calibre, I decided to continue with the Moodle Book module to author the content. If I was doing this with others, then AContent would be worth using, but Moodle will do for just me. I will then convert the HTML which Moodle produces to the XHTML EPUB format using Sigil and perhaps tidy up the metadata with Calibre.

Avoiding Complex Citations

I had assumed that the e-publishing formats and tools, particularly those for e-learning, would have referencing built in. That is I would be able to enter the details of a paper , or book and have a reference to it inserted into the boy of the text and the details entered in a bibliography, with the links between the two automatically maintained by the software. But the state of the art seems to be to manually enter the information and hypertext links.

After considering how students will use the e-book I decided to minimize the use of references. Previously I had the text peppered with hypertext links, on the assumption this would be useful for the students to be able to look up a term, or work. However, this created a problem for the students, who then did not know which links were worth clicking on and what they would otherwise miss. As a result I decided previously not to include links to the glossary. Taking this policy further, links to the bibliography do not appear to be worthwhile.

With a paper book, the reader can turn to a reference in the back of the book, to see what work is being referred to. However, almost all the references in my coruse notes are to on-line documents. It therefore makes little sense to have the reader click on a citation link, be taken to the back of the book, only to then have to click on another link to be taken to the actual work. It would be simpler to place a link directly to the work in the body of the text. The list of references can be retained at the back of the book, but mainly only as a resource for those reading an off-line copy.

Not including links to references coincidently makes the material easier to format, removing the need for so many links.

Australian Opposition Broadband Policy

Malcolm Turnbull, Shadow Minister for Communications, outlined the coalition policy on broadband at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) 20 July 2011. Unfortunately Mr. Turnbull has not provided a copy of the speech, nor has CEDA. From media reports, it would appear the coalition policy differs only in detail and timing from the ALP Government policy.

The Government is decommissioning the copper network and replacing it with fiber to the home, terrestrial fixed wireless and satellite (for more remote areas). Revenue from urban areas would cross-subsidize rural users, to provide national uniform pricing.

The coalition alternative is to install fiber in new greenfield urban areas and where the copper has deteriorated. Where copper cable is in good condition it would be used for fiber-to-the-node. The existing hybrid fiber/coaxial network installed for Pay TV would be retained. Vouchers would be provided to subsidize rural subscribers.

The difference between the two policies is mostly one of timing. The ALP policy will see a much more rapid replacement of copper with fiber.

The Coalition also proposes a Productivity Commission inquiry into how to deliver broadband. Such an inquiry is likely to come up with whatever answer the government of the day wants. The results of the inquiry can be predetermined by the brief the commission is given. If given a brief with a short timescale, emphasizing cost to the government, then the Coalition policy will look better. If told to look at the long term social and economic benefits, then the ALP policy will be better.

The common factors between the Coalition and ALP policies are the recognition that fiber is the better long term option and that regional areas will need a subsidy for social equity reasons.

The deficiencies in both the government and opposition policies are the lack of recognition of the growth of mobile wireless devices and the need to invest to get the community, business and government "broadband ready".

Mobile Broadband as the Predominant Internet Access Method

The coalition and ALP policies both assume that fixed broadband to homes is the primary service required. This fails to recognize the rapid increase in the use of wireless broadband with mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablet computers, popularized by the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad. There are now broadband plans for less than $10 a month being offered which include the tablet computer.

Low cost laptops with wireless are also becoming common. The influence of the mobile paradigm is now spreading to the desktop, with the new Microsoft Windows, Apple OS and Linux user interfaces for desktop computers being modeled on a mobile interface. Mobile is becoming the predominant paradigm, with fixed devices being required to fit in with this.

For a consumer who primarily uses the Internet via their mobile device, it will not make much sense to be tethered to a home fixed line connection. There may be savings in cost from using the fixed link and higher more reliable capacity, but these will hardly be compelling. Rather than wireless being an add-on for a fixed connection, as at present, the fixed link will need to adapt to be an add-on to mobile access.

Making the Community, Business and Government Broadband Ready

Both coalition and ALP broadband policies take a "build it and they will come" approach, in assuming that the available broadband will be used and will result in social and economic benefits. However, seemingly inevitable developments, such as the paperless office and TV based education, did not happen as expected.

While the cost of the NBN is criticized by the opposition, its cost will be dwarfed by the cost of the Australian economy adapting to its use. Use of on-line working will require the retraining of the workforce and the introduction of new systems.

There are also be negative social and economic effects of broadband, which need to be taken into account. Readily available on-line services will result in the reduction of face-to-face services. Access to services via broadband will open the Australian service industry to overseas competition.

Broadband can be used to provide e-health and e-learning to regional areas of Australia. However, not only will this allow provision of services where there are no face-to-face services currently, but also it will allow government and commercial providers to withdraw face-to-face services in urban areas. Just as ATMs resulted in fewer bank branches, broadband will result in fewer clinics and schools.

The policies also assume that services over broadband to regional Australia will be provided from other parts of Australia. However, once the fiber is laid, the extra cost of access from another country is minimal.

One way to maximize the positive social and economic benefits of broadband is to invest in training and systems to make use of it.

Broadband Use Does Not Happen Naturally

One of the assumptions of the coalition and ALP broadband policies is that its take-up will happen naturally. However, my experience with working on e-learning over the last few years has shown this is not the case. Even ICT professionals, who are highly skilled at using computers and the Internet need to be trained in how to use it for education. ICT professionals undertaking on-line courses need to be shown how to use it for their education and , in particular, how to have a productive and professional on-line discussion with their peers.

Teachers, even university lecturers in ICT, need extensive training in how to use ICT for education. Educators need to learn new skills. It is not just a matter of replacing the classroom with a video conferecne. The teaching staff also need extensive support with the software and systems used. The situation is likely to be the same with e-heath and with other service providers.

The Austrlaian Government has made a start with its Digital Education Revolution (DER) strategy. But far more than the allocated $2.4B will be required to support integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in Australian schools. More funding will also be needed for the vocational and higher education sectors.

Australia needs to invest heavily in training the workforce in the use of broadband. If not, other countries, particularly Indian companies who then outsource to less developed countries, will be providing the bulk of these services within a few years.

More in my submission to the Inquiry into the role and potential of the National Broadband Network: "Broadband for a Broad Land: The role and potential benefits of the National Broadband Network the for Environment and Education".

Enhancing University Teaching

Greetings from the Australian National University where details of the Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Enhancement Grants are being presented. Of the $100,000 available, half is reserved for technology enhancement of education. Grants are normally for a maximum of $10,000 so these are relatively small investments, which can be for innovative (and risky) ideas. The Case Studies of Educational Excellence provides examples of previous successful projects, including Judy-anne Osborn's "Student-run Mathematics Film Showings". Another interesting previous project was "Law Student Well-being and the Law Curriculum: Exploring the Links". Also the Teaching Ideas 7 Principles of Good Practice from University of Tennessee were recommended.

My interest was in applying for a grant for my courses in Green ICT and e-documents to add video and some software. However, the emphasis for the grants is on how to use the technology for better learning for students. In particular we were discouraged from just applying for a grant to buy some Apple iPads (there are many Apple iPad University Trials). Also it was pointed out that the university already provides a range of software applications and Training & skills development.

It was suggested projects should be innovative and, for example, just taking a face to face course and putting it on-line is not. Also the initiative should be broadly applicable and be able to be communicated. One aspect of communication was that proposals should avoid educational jargon and use clear language. One aspect of interest is that the applications are made with electronic documents, with PDF discouraged.

Politics of Geoengineering

Greetings from the Australian National University, where

Professor Clive Hamilton, is talking on "Governance of Geoengineering". The geoengineering in this case is intended to combat the temperature increase caused by greenhouse gases. This might be done by reducing the solar radiation reaching the earth (solar radiation management), or by removing carbon dioxide from the air.

To me this form of engineering is of little practical application. It is possible to change local conditions around a building block, or a city, but not for the planet. It is feasible to reduce carbon emissions from some engineering processes at source. But there is little prospect of removing carbon dioxide from the ambient air by engineering means.

Professor Hamilton described the origins of some geoengineering as a joke and expressed concern that some current ones are get rich quick schemes. There are a small number of scientists and policy people working on this.

If there is prospect for geoengineering being deployed, then this would need to be regulated, due to the local and global impact. The UK Parliament released "The Regulation of Geoengineering", (HC 221, 18 March 2010). The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recommended a moratorium. The Royal Society also released a report.

It seems to me that there is little risk from pure engineering forms of geoengineering, such as extracting carbon dioxide from the air, for the same reason which they are unlikely to be of practical value: they will simply not work very well . However, chemically or biologically based systems pose more of a risk, such as adding iron fertilization of the ocean to promote algal bloom, or stratospheric sulfur aerosols.

Professor Hamilton also pointed out that geo-engineering would impinge on national greenhouse gas emissions policies. This might be a way for a nation to avoid costly emissions reductions in this way.

While geoengineering schemes may seem far fetched, Professor Hamilton pointed out that the US military used a cloud seeding operation during the Vietnam war (Operation Popey), with such success that the the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques was introduced. If framed in terms of a "climate emergency" then geoengineering can be more feasible. Also it occurs to me that while the effects of large scale nuclear war would be horrendous, there are several nations which plan and practice for this and geoengineering would seem benign in comparison.

Professor Hamilton discussed economic arguments for geoengineering from the USA. However, given the USA's current economic difficulties, it might be more appropriate to to consider what China's position would be. There is a government owned "China Geo-Engineering Corporation" (CGC), but this seems to be an international civil engineering company, not working on geoengineering.There is some discussion of the effect of the sulfur from Chinese coal power stations on warming.

Professor Hamilton described his position of one investigating "egoegnineering", rather than geo-engineering. That is the egotistical idea that humans could moued the earth to their own needs caused the problem and the same approach could not solve it. He will discuss this at ANU in about four weeks.

Seminar
Governance of Geoengineering

Research into geoengineering solutions to global warming is gathering pace, despite concerns that developing Plan B may reduce the pressure to pursue Plan A — cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

At present there is no legal impediment to any nation, or indeed any wealthy individual, attempting to transform the Earth’s climate through, for example, spraying sulphate aerosols into the upper atmosphere.

Attention is now being turned to the regulation of geoengineering research and possible deployment. In addition to official inquiries, the Royal Society is supporting the Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative, due to report later this year. This seminar will survey the issues and consider the unique difficulties presented by regulation of solar radiation management, and other proposed geoengineering methods.

Clive Hamilton of Charles Sturt Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics and has recently returned from a visiting position at the University of Oxford where he researched the ethics of geoengineering. He is the author of Requiem for a Species: Why We Resist the Truth about Climate Change and is a member of the Royal Society’s SRMGI.

Speaker/Host: Clive Hamilton/RegNet
Date: Thursday, 21 July 2011
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM