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Australian Computer Society
Founded1966; 58 years ago (1966)
TypeProfessional organisation
FocusComputer and information processing science and technology
Area served
Australia
MethodPublications, conferences, technical councils, industry standards, certification and training, scholarships
Membership
35,000+
Key people
  • Helen McHugh (President)
  • Chris Vein (CEO)
Websiteacs.org.au

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is an association for information and communications technology professionals with 40,000+ members Australia-wide. According to its Constitution, its objectives are "to advance professional excellence in information technology" and "to promote the development of Australian information and communications technology resources".[1]

The ACS was formed on 1 January 1966 from five state based societies. It was formally incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory on 3 October 1967. Since 1983 there have been chapters in every state and territory.

The ACS is a member of the Australian Council of Professions ("Professions Australia"), the peak body for professional associations in Australia.[2] Internationally, ACS is a member of the International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3), South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation, International Federation for Information Processing and The Seoul Accord.

The ACS is also a member organisation of the Federation of Enterprise Architecture Professional Organizations (FEAPO), a worldwide association of professional organisations which have come together to provide a forum to standardise, professionalise, and otherwise advance the discipline of Enterprise Architecture.

Activities

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The ACS operates various chapters, annual conferences, Special Interest Groups, and a professional development program. Members are required to comply with a Code of Ethics and a Code of Professional Conduct.

Extent of representation

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The ACS describes itself as "the professional association for Australia's technology sector"[3] and "Australia's primary representative body for the ICT workforce",[4] but industry analysts have questioned this based on the small percentage of IT professionals who are ACS members. The issue has been discussed in the press since at least 2004,[5] and in 2013 the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "the ACS aggressively seeks to control the important software engineering profession in Australia, but ... less than 5 per cent of the professional IT workforce belongs to the ACS."[6] The ACS Foundation came up with a slightly higher figure: "Depending on the data used to calculate the number of ICT professionals in Australia, however, [ACS] membership represents approximately 6.5 per cent of the total."[7]

Presidents

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The Australian Computer Society elects its National President every two years, who serves as the leader of the Society. Some of the most recent presidents include:

  • Nick Tate, 2022–2023 [8]
  • Ian Opperman, 2020–2021 [9]
  • Yohan Ramasundarah, 2018–2019 [10]
  • Anthony Wong, 2016–2017 [11]
  • Brenda Aynsley, 2014–2016 [12]
  • Nick Tate, 2012–2014 [13]
  • Kumar Parakala, 2008–2010 [14]
  • Philip Argy, 2006–2008 [15]
  • Edward Mandla, 2004–2006 [16]

Young IT

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The Young IT Professionals Board of the Australian Computer Society provides a voice for young IT professionals and students, as well as a range of services and benefits for members. Currently Young IT organises and runs a bi-annual YIT International Conference and other events such as local career days, soft skills and technical seminars, networking opportunities and social events (e.g. Young IT in the Pub) in each of the Australian States.

The most recent Young IT Conference was held in Melbourne in 2014.

Publications

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Information Age is the official publication of the ACS. In February 2015 Information Age became an online-only publication. Peer-reviewed research publications of the ACS include:

  • Australian Computer Journal
  • Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology
  • Conferences in Research and Practice in Information Technology
  • Australasian Journal of Information Systems

The digital library contains free journal articles and conference papers.[17]

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Other Australian computer associations

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Special Interest Groups

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Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of the ACS are connected to each state branch with some SIGs of the same or similar name occurring in a number of states, depending on local interest, and include: Architects, Software Quality Assurance, Women in Technology, Business Requirements Analysis, Enterprise Capacity Management, Enterprise Solution Development, Free Open Source Software, Information Security, IT Management, Project Management, Service Oriented Computing, Web Services, Consultants and Contractors, IT Security, PC Recycling, Curry SIG, Information Technology in Education, Robotics, E-Commerce, IT Governance, Software Engineering and Cloud Computing. A recent addition is the Green ICT Group on computers and telecommunications for environmental sustainability. In 2007 the Telecommunications Society of Australia was absorbed into the Australian Computer Society as the Telecommunications Special Interest Group

Education and Certification

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The ACS runs the online Computer Professional Education Program (CPEP) for postgraduate education in subjects including: Green ICT Strategies; New Technology Alignment; Business, Strategy & IT; Adaptive Business Intelligence; Project Management; Managing Technology and Operations. CPEP uses the Australian developed Moodle course management system and is delivered via the web.

The Diploma of Information Technology (DIT) is equivalent to one academic year of a Bachelor of Information Technology at several universities. It has eight compulsory subjects: systems analysis, programming, computer organisation, data management, OO systems development, computer communications, professional practice and systems principles.

The ACS also certifies IT professionals at two levels, the Certified Professional and the Certified Technologist. Each certification level has a minimum level of experience and also required ongoing CPD (Certified Professional Development) hours of learning each year. In 2017 the ACS launched a cybersecurity specialisation within the certification framework.[18]

Digital Disruptors Awards

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ACS recognizes outstanding technical talent in the Australian industry with seven "ACS Digital Disruptors awards". They are:

Individual awards

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  • ICT Professional of the Year
  • Emerging ICT Professional of the Year (Age under 30)
  • CXO Disruptor of the Year

Team/Project Awards

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  • Service Transformation for the Digital Consumer
  • Skills Transformation of Work Teams
  • Best New Tech Platform
  • ICT Research Project of the Year

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Australian Computer Society – Home. www.acs.org.au. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  2. ^ ACoP Member: Australian Computer Society, Professions.org.au, Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Home". Australian Computer Society. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  4. ^ "The art of conversation" (PDF). Information Age: 24. July–August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  5. ^ Hayes, Simon (7 December 2004). "US body sets up here to rival ACS" (login required). The Australian. Retrieved 1 August 2014. Although the ACS claims about 15,000 members in Australia, about 240,000 people work in the industry.
  6. ^ Healy, Tony (5 February 2013). "IT profession deserves better than the ACS". The Sydney Morning Herald. IT Pro. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  7. ^ Ridge, John (ACS Foundation) (2013). "Chapter 2. The maturing of a profession". In Weckert, John; Lucas, Richard (eds.). Professionalism in the information and communication technology industry (PDF). Canberra, ACT: Australian National University E Press, co-published with CAPPE. pp. 45–48. ISBN 9781922144430. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Media Release - ACS elects Nick Tate as President for 2022–23". Acs.org.au.
  9. ^ "Media Release - ACS elects Dr Ian Oppermann as President for 2020–21". Acs.org.au.
  10. ^ "ACS elects new President". Information Age.
  11. ^ "Anthony Wong elected ACS president - Computerworld". Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  12. ^ "MEDIA ALERT - Brenda Aynsley elected ACS president 2014-2016 | Australian Computer Society". 29 November 2016. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016.
  13. ^ "RDSI director, Dr Nick Tate, elected new ACS President". ARN.
  14. ^ "ICT centres of excellence open in WA". 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
  15. ^ "ACS elects new president". iTnews.com.au.
  16. ^ "ACS elects new president - Computerworld". Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  17. ^ "ACS Digital Library". Dl.acs.org. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  18. ^ McLean, Asha. "Cybersecurity specialisation status up for grabs with new ACS accreditation program". ZDNet. Retrieved 29 September 2017.

Sources

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