Adam Dunne of Aura Interactive talks mobile technology

ADAM DUNNE, CEO of AURA Interactive Pty Ltd, talks to us about the future of mobile phones, how businesses are utilising the value of mobile technology and the possibility of a trend to convergence or divergence of mobile phone and notebook computer technology.

He is a speaker at the Digital Media Leaders Forum in Sydney in March 2009.

For more information, go to www.iir.com.au/digital

Legal businesses at the crossroads

Many ‘traditional’ law firms need to change their business model if they’re to be at all competitive during the economic downturn, says consultant Ashley Balls, principal of Legal Best Practice.

Mr Balls makes the point that law is a business, lawyers, are not ‘different’ and need to ask repeatedly: what service aspects can be delivered more efficiently and for lower cost without compromising quality?

He says clients are now in the box seat and will demand more for less.

“Investment in IT is part of the solution, not a panacea. Email, the Internet, work-flow tools and automatic document assembly is not the end of the IT journey – it is the beginning.

“Failure to commoditise legal services wherever possible is an insult to clients who are already very familiar with computers and the Internet.”

Mr Balls says outsourcing is not innovation, it is a lifeline and questions the necessity of having expensive, grand offices when support personnel can be located remotely.

He says time and cost-based charging is finished – clients want fixed or annual fees and firms must change their billing practices to accommodate this need.

Mr Balls will elaborate on these issues in an address titled the Future of Law Firms at the 2nd Annual Legal IT Forum in Sydney on 1-2 April 2009.

International speakers include Neil Cameron, Principal of Neil Cameron Consulting (UK), who will discuss the use of technology to improve margins; Janet Day, CIO of Berwin Leighton Paisner (UK), who will give a UK focus on managing partners in lean times; and ILTA President Joy Heath-Rush, who is Enterprise End User Services Director for U.S.-based Sidley Austin LLP.

There will also be panel sessions featuring representatives of Blake Dawson, Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Deloitte Digital and international firms.

www.iir.com.au/legalit

To arrange a media pass, request more information or arrange speaker interviews please contact:

Nigel Dique
Informa-IIR 02 9080 4108; 0423 024 819; nigel.dique@informa.com.au

Debate on coal use emissions reduction

The energy industry will get its first big chance to debate and respond to the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme green paper at the Coal Tech 2008 conference in Brisbane on 29-30 September.

The green paper proposes a limited amount of direct assistance to existing coal-fired electricity generators, and points to the potential benefits from developing clean coal technology, particularly viable carbon capture and storage.

At Coal Tech 2008, advances in carbon capture and storage, coal gasification, coal-to-liquids, coal drying and other technologies will be given a thorough airing.

With overseas and local electricity demand growing unabated coal fired power generation continues to be the preferred energy source in most countries into the foreseeable future. And with Goldman Sachs predicting $149 a barrel year-end price target for crude oil, coal gasification and coal-to-liquids technologies are taking the spotlight among viable alternative fuels.

Professor Victor Rudolph from the University of Queensland is to provide an update on current CO2 storage projects in Australia, while other speakers will go into detail on individual projects.

Among other speakers are Gordon Couch, from the International Energy Agency Clean Coal Centre, UK, who will provide an international update on coal to liquids and implications for transport fuels, and Barry Ford, CEO of Hybrid Energy, who will review the FuturGas project involving coal to liquids gasification and integrated electricity generation.

www.iir.com.au/coaltech

Expert optimistic on carbon capture

If you’re not able to view the video above, please visit www.iir.com.au/coaltech/vid.

Carbon capture and storage has been demonstrated around the world for 10 years and can be ‘scaled up’ to meet Australia’s requirements, according to Frank van Schagen, Managing Director of Australian Black Coal Utilisation Research Ltd.

However, as a prerequisite, the technologies need to be improved and made more economic, large storage sites need to be identified and characterized, and transport corridors established, he says.

“Most importantly, we need the regulatory or legislative ‘wrapper’ to allow business to take up the opportunity.”

He says implementing the technology is costly, but “moving to an emissions trading system and putting a price on carbon provides some opportunity to offset that cost”.

Mr van Schagen is Day 2 Chairman of the Coal Tech 2008 conference in Brisbane on 29-30 September, when energy industry participants will gather to debate and respond to the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme green paper.

The green paper proposes a limited amount of direct assistance to existing coal-fired electricity generators, and points to the potential benefits from developing clean coal technology, particularly viable carbon capture and storage.

The work done by the CRC for Greenhouse Technologies who’ll be presenting at Coal Tech 2008 shows significant potential for storage, Mr van Schagen says.

Professor Victor Rudolph from the University of Queensland is to provide an update on current CO2 storage projects in Australia, while other speakers will go into detail on individual projects.

Among other speakers are Gordon Couch, from the International Energy Agency Clean Coal Centre, UK, who will provide an international update on coal to liquids and implications for transport fuels, and Barry Ford, CEO of Hybrid Energy, who will review the FuturGas project involving coal to liquids gasification and integrated electricity generation.

Much interest will centre on advances in coal gasification, coal-to-liquids, coal drying and other technologies, especially with predictions by Goldman Sachs that the year-end price for crude oil could reach $149 a barrel. www.iir.com.au/coaltech

Nigel Dique
02 9080 4108
nigel.dique@iir.com.au