Globalised IT

What did we expect - that India and China wouldn't climb the global version of Latham's ladder of aspiration? As they move into high-value IT services, the challenge is not to hold them back but to get Australia's onto the next rung.

I do not want to pay for Telstra to be a sheltered workshop through higher charges, lower dividends and missed global opportunities. This will happen if the Australian IT sector is not exposed to global competition.

IT professionals are better placed than most to take the hard knocks of globalisation: often drawn from other professions with a range of skills, the are mobile and adaptable. IT is a driver of jobs growth here (The Age, 16/1) and a recent report by US Bureau of Labour Statistics predicted IT making up eight out of the ten fastest growing jobs this decade.

Opening up Australian IT to global competition will increase its competitiveness. The Indian IT sector has made better progress as it has embraced international accreditation. Also, during my time in IT at Telstra, I met many people who were educated in South Asia and whose standard of work was fantastic.