IMS Australia
IMS is developing and promoting adoption of common technical standards which are necessary to underpin an electronic infrastructure for e-learning and to enable better access to information for researchers. Australian representatives are working in the international arena to ensure Australia is included as these technologies develop and evolve.
http://www.imsglobal.org/ 
International Standards Development
An important turning point in terms of furthering advanced distributed learning technologies through international collaboration was reached at an International Forum in Melbourne sponsored by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL ) Initiative on 4-6 October.
See the DEST Press Release on the forum and its outcomes.
Australia and the United Kingdom
On 31 January 2005 the Secretary of the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), Ms Lisa Paul and the Executive Secretary of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), Dr Malcolm Read, jointly signed a Co-operation Framework. In signing this Co-operation Framework DEST and JISC have demonstrated their commitment to collaboration and innovation in the delivery of work-class technologies for education and research communities.
The goals of the Co-operation Framework are to:
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Inform strategic planning in their respective national contexts
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Optimise the return on investment by sharing, where appropriate, human and financial resources
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Enhance capacity to implement technical infrastructure in their respective countries
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Enhance staff development within the partner organisations through sharing expertise and knowledge networks
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Provide joint leadership in the development of international technical specifications and standards
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Develop links with vendor communities through the joint articulation of service needs
Interoperability Demonstration for Education Australia - !dea
The Interoperability Demonstration for Education – Australia (!dea) was designed to:
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Illustrate the importance of using technical standards to support the sharing and reuse of learning systems and content for education and training in Australia
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Give Australian organisations the chance to test, demonstrate and improve the interoperability of their online products and services
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Provide input to the development of standards and specifications used to support e-learning
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Highlight international developments in the application and management of learning technologies
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Demonstrate to the world that Australia takes interoperability seriously
Two events have been held, one in 2004 and one in 2005. Another is planned for later in 2005.
Australian Middleware Forum & Campus Architectural Middleware Planning (CAMP) Workshop
Griffith University, Gold Coast campus, Queensland, 7 to 11 December 2004.
The inaugural Australian Middleware Forum and CAMP was an important milestone in ensuring that Australia develops an integrated and collaborative approach to its e-enterprise, e-research and e-learning capability to build the capacity for its education and research community to fully participate in global scientific and academic endeavours. The event attracted 137 delegates to the 2 day Forum and 75 to the following 3 day CAMP.
Presentations are available from both the Forum and CAMP and as well there are additional reference materials . Photographs from the events are also available.