Business View Oceania l February/March 2023

35 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 5, ISSUE 2 also navigated and continue to navigate the fine balance between privacy versus national security.” He continues, “Despite the changes in technology over the last 44 years, our role hasn’t changed. We have seen and contributed to the growth of the industry over that time, particularly in the last 18 months, where the curve has just shot up. We’ve gone from being Australia’s sixth largest sector in the sharing economy to the third largest, and we have emerging technologies that would quickly see us move to the largest industry sector in Australia. So, it’s an exciting time to be involved in ICT.” The team of 10 staff at AIIA, supplemented by approximately 350 state volunteers and outsource partners, value equality, innovation, communication, and responsibility above all else. Memberships are tiered according to the size of their employee base, and each member company holds one equal vote regardless of size, to provide equal opportunity for input and influence. AIIA also has representative from other Australian industries, Mr. Gauci explains. “We have representation for other critical sectors, including health, agriculture, sport, retail, fintech, etcetera. It’s important that we maintain diversity within our members and keep everybody on a level playing field. The ethical standing of our organisation is something we’re very proud of; we speak often on issues such as privacy versus national security, and the effect of that balance on Australians’ daily lives. We promote the discussion of technology as a force for good and seek to educate about its potential to improve people’s lives, rather than create turmoil. Topics such as the role of social and widespread media, for example, are very important to us. We look at, how can we make sure the distribution of news and information is carried out ethically? How can we minimise negative effects on our population, our economy, and our industry?” The AIIA works hard to raise awareness and deepen understanding of what innovation technology is, what it looks like in action, and how it may be used to improve and support life on a day-to- day basis for Australians and their businesses. ICT is still seen as a largely technical industry, Mr. Gauci says, rather than an ecosystem that holds value for every sector in the country. “One of the challenges we face as a governing body is people still see our industry as a group of programmers; AUSTRAL I AN INFORMAT ION INDUSTRY ASSOC I AT ION (A I I A)