Australian gov't IP management needs direction

01.03.2007
The seemingly innocuous topic of management of federal government software IP has raised its head in parliament with Australia's Labor party accusing the government of putting nearly A$4 billion (US$3.2 billion) of software at risk of being pirated.

Labor Senator Mark Bishop accused the government of being indifferent towards intellectual property leaving it vulnerable to theft or loss.

The claims follow a report by the Australian National Audit Office on the management of intellectual property in the Australian government sector, which highlights the need for an "overarching approach" to IP management among federal government agencies.

This year's report references one from 2003-2004 that noted there was no unified policy approach to the management of government IP and a "clear senior commitment to IP management" was of utmost importance to manage IP appropriately.

The previous audit found that although 61 percent of agencies rated IP as of medium or high importance to their operations only 30 per cent had developed policies or plans addressing the management of IP.

With the Attorney General's Department, Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts, Department of Finance, and IP Australia all expressing an interesting in developing a unified approach to IP management, the audit report stated after three years of agreeing this has not been achieved.