

The Australian Computer Society's response to Matt Barrie - damian2000
http://www.acs.org.au/news-and-media/news-and-media-releases/2013/acs-media-statement

======
zik
TL;DR: "It wasn't us, it was an organisation closely affiliated with us with
almost the same name who we have absolutely nothing to do with".

Convincing.

~~~
mattbarrie
Spot on. Also no mention about why they get a monopoly on accrediting skilled
visa applications for computer scientists.

Two comments I got overnight:

"The ACS is run by a whole bunch of accountants and lawyers who can't believe
their luck that people associate them with the technology industry" "You’re
right that the ACS has to go. Back in 2001 I contacted the ACS to discuss some
policy things and was horrified to discover the “experts” I was talking to
were nothing more than accountants. Later they elected a lawyer as president,
and then a recruiter, prompting me to publicly condemn the ACS as a fake
during the period 2004 – 2006. The ACS is actually an anti-professional
organisation. Their agenda is not to promote computer science or engineering
expertise, but rather to allow pretenders to hide in the generic vagueness of
“ICT Professional.” They actually work to devalue real expertise, since
engineers and computer scientists pose a threat to accountants, MBAs and
lawyers who want to claim membership of the technology professsions. I think
the solution has to be a formal inquiry into regulation of the IT professions,
with a view to government stepping in and, as you put it, disbanding the ACS.
At the moment, the ACS has insinuated itself too strongly into formal
regulation. Simply starting a rival organisation for software engineers, say,
would not work. Government has to dissolve existing ACS influence and leave
the way open for new specialist organisations."

------
damian2000
Here's the original article for context:
[http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130131000939-92...](http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130131000939-921366-the-
australian-computer-society-should-be-disbanded)

HN comments here: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5142872>

------
mattbarrie
"We have nothing to do with this group"

Just take a look at who the board is lol:
[http://www.acsfoundation.com.au/static_aboutthefoundation.cf...](http://www.acsfoundation.com.au/static_aboutthefoundation.cfm)

~~~
mattbarrie
I wonder how many board members of the ACS and ACS foundation actually have
computer science degrees. Would their qualification pass "accreditation" by
the ACS or do somehow the lawyers and accountants gain "life experience"
sufficient to be an "ICT professional" which makes them qualified to run the
"peak body" for computer scientists?

