Alston Stays

Senator Richard Alston will retain his position as Australia’s IT and Communications minister, despite much speculation and rumour to the contrary.

Senator Richard Alston will retain his position as Australia's IT and Communications minister, despite much speculation and rumour to the contrary.

Many tipped Alston to relinquish the IT and Communications portfolio after speculation surfaced indicating he no longer wanted the job. Still others tipped him to be fired, dumped by the Liberals after what many perceive to be a dismal track record on issues ranging from broadband to Internet censorship.

Strangely, not everyone sees Alston as the worst thing to happen to IT in this country since our government managed to drive the 'Net's only profitable industry, the porn industry, offshore. Wait, come to think of it, Senator Alston was responsible for that as well! The Australian Computer Society seems to like him, citing his accessibility and willingness to address issues as two of his good points in this article.

Regardless of what the ACS and our Prime Minister think of Alston's past performance, Australia's Internet situation (including broadband) is in a dismal state, and the responsibility lies with the man chartered to look after IT in this country – Senator Richard Alston.