29/9/99

Mr David Mason,

Secretary, E-commerce Reference,

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Dear Sir,

Recently I ran a basic computer training course for a group of ten 50 - 60 year old adults, some of whom had never even touched - not used, but 'touched' - a typewriter before in their life. As a 15-year user of computers it was an enlightening experience for me and one quite relevant to the above inquiry.

Group members were intelligent, enthusiastic, self-motivated and keen to learn - a teacher's dream class. Of course they suffered the usually recognised age disabilities of arthritic fingers which had difficulty double clicking a mouse, eyesight transition from whiteboard to workbook to keyboard to screen and hearing loss inaudibility across the classroom.

But their major disability was that they were 'not of this era'. By this I mean that they had not grown up with computers. They had not absorbed even the basics of keyboard skills - like lifting their fingers off the keys once they found the letter. 'Login' produced llllllooooooogggggiiiinnnnnn.

And if older adult women are thus disadvantaged, men are even more so because in 'their era' they were actively discouraged from any form of clerical skills. Many have been made age redundant ('early retirement') by young management who believed they could not learn new computer technology. Thus they developed only a hate relationship with the computer.

Today it would be hard to find a young adult who did not have basic computer awareness - even if they only knew that the Ctrl key was the fire button for Doom. It is they whom the designers of computer courses have in mind when they state that their basic courses require 'no previous knowledge or prerequisites'.

For older adults there is definitely the need for preliminary computer skill and confidence training. They must first be led to a comfortable, friendly position with 'new technology'. Only then will they lose their fear of 'the dam machine' and of 'breaking' it.

As governments, banks and others close services which older people need to access and go on-line, any who are computer and Internet shy become a progressively disadvantaged group.

It is also significant that the Baby Boomer segment of western society is now entering into this older age group. They may wish to feel and act perhaps a decade younger but they are still not of the computer confident 'era'. Being the largest market target group their increasing leisure time and released superannuation funds will be sort after by e-commerce. They also still command strong and outspoken political clout.

This inquiry rightly links age and disability. Just being older is a disability in this e-world. Even older people who have learnt computer skills are at a disadvantage because their whole being is still in a previous era. They are in fact 'age disabled'.

Yet most people over 55, after a lifetime of being 'abled', would strenuously deny that they fall into a disabled category. So it is time to redefine the term, to make it more friendly, to re-educate to enable it to be admitted to and embraced.

But no 'parent' likes to be 'educated' by a 'child'. Especially with new technology the young, quick thinking, quick talking computer confident people, even if trying to be helpful, can seriously inhibit older people in the home, workplace and training establishment. Therefore it is no surprise that throughout the world there is a rise of senior's computer users support groups both on the Internet and localised with regular meetings so that seniors can help seniors.

Thus the government's obvious and cheapest solution to change the computer shy to the computer confident is to utilise existing non-workplace oriented voluntary organisations such as Australian Senior's Computer Clubs Association and the University of the Third Age. For minimal administrative and equipment input funding a nationwide training program could be simply and quickly setup and made to function.

This form of peer helping peer is the only friendly solution. Once computer confidence has been attained then the e-world is literally at their fingertips.

Thank you.

Graham Dean

18 Humble Street

East Geelong 3219