Australia Debuts E-Commerce Standard

Australia Tuesday unveiled the first domestic site for secure electronic transactions (SET), with Visa, the ANZ Bank, e-commerce solution provider Creative Digital Technology (CDT), and Data General Australia & New Zealand, jointly launching a consumer-centric e-commerce project.

The endeavour, which incorporates technology that according to Data General has not been used in Australia before, will use the Zoological Board of New South Wales as its beta site.

This NSW government instrumentality, which manages both Sydney’s Taronga Zoo and the Western Plains Zoo in western NSW, will offer tickets, gifts, and souvenirs for online purchase.

Approximately AUS$40,000 (US$25,000) worth of CDT’s NetCommerce software is being utilised in the endeavour, all of which has been sponsored by Data General.
Visa, which in the form of VISANet has helped push for SET standards in for credit card transactions Australia, will work with ANZ Bank to enforce a standard transaction process at the site.

This combined effort is a marked change from the attitude of financial institutions, that have continually delayed local SET implementation because of problems with software development and interoperability.

The combined Taronga Zoo and Western Plains Zoo site is scheduled to commence online credit card and ecash transactions on July 27.