Ministers, industry figures to headline telework conference

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Senator Stephen Conroy, Bill Shorten MP, and US ambassador Jeffrey Bleich will be among the speakers at a national conference exploring the opportunities and challenges posed by corporate and government telework policies.

To be held at the University of Melbourne on November 12, the Telework Congress 2012 will feature a range of business, industry and government figures sharing their experiences and forecasts for business models that allow employees to work from home.

Telework is one of the key use cases being promoted by the government for its national broadband network (NBN), a telework enabler that remains a cornerstone of Labor's policies heading into next year's federal election.

The event kicks off National Telework Week, a government-backed event promoting the technologies and policies needed to make teleworking a success for those involved. National Telework Week runs from 12 to 16 November and is designed to highlight the benefits of teleworking to both employers and employees.

While some of the presentations are forward-looking, many of the speakers at the day-long event – which is free to all and will be webcast for those unable to attend – will be sharing  their own telework stories.

Ambassador Bleich will talk about the USA experience with telework, while Ilona Charles of Medibank Private, Chris Menadue from IP Australia, and Gordon Noble of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia will talk about their organisations' experiences with teleworking.

The event will conclude with a panel involving representatives of Cisco, Xero, NRMA and the City of Whittlesea, who will explore the future potential of telework and how it can support future challenges in transport, cities and geography.

Registration is free and via the Telework Congress 2012 Web site.