On 9 December 2009 Philip Argy, Immediate Past President of the Australian Computer Society, was declared elected Chairman of the National ICT Industry Alliance (NICTIA) for 2010/11.  In submitting himself to the members Mr Argy noted his passionate belief in ICT as the enabler of innovation, wealth and prosperity.  He has expressed those views enthusiastically and frequently!
 
Mr Argy suggested that the often fragmented views of diverse industry participants and perspectives need to be synthesised into a coherent consensus wherever possible.  He noted that the great power of NICTIA is that it is not just another industry body – it is a collective of existing bodies.  When all speak with one voice, the political clout is manifest.  We don’t always have to speak with one voice, but the beauty of NICTIA is the facility to share ideas and perspectives, to have diverse interests and constituencies represented around the table.   When we all understand each other better, the things we agree on usually outnumber the things on which we retain our different perspectives.  NICTIA’s 10 year vision statement issued in May 2007 achieved universal acclaim as much for its reflection of a broad based consensus across disparate industry sectors as it did for its visionary content.  It should be kept under constant review, but it remains a robust blueprint for energising Australian innovation.

Mr Argy is tasked with working toward closer and more formal NICTIA liaison with State and Federal Ministers and advisors, so that collective industry views are more forcefully pressed and understood.  Mr Argy noted also that “there are enormous opportunities within our reach with the NBN and IPv6 reflecting rare global sea changes which we can harness for Australia’s competitive advantage”.