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To: Runner who wrote (28454)	2/18/1999 11:42:00 PM
From: Captain Jack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 31646

Runner--- Not everyone is concerned--- YET! ANBERRA, Feb 19, 1999 (Asia Pulse via COMTEX) -- Nearly half of Australian businesses plan to ignore the Year 2000 computer bug. And of the businesses which do plan to take action against Y2K, half had not even begun to do so by October last year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said. The ABS said 93 per cent of businesses were aware of Y2K but only 58 per cent had taken action or would act before January 2000 to avoid problems caused by the computer bug. In total, 42 per cent of all businesses - mainly small businesses or farmers - did not plan to take action against Y2K. Sixteen per cent of businesses had begun work to combat the problem, 13 per cent were either testing or had completed their Year 2000 preparation and 30 per cent were yet to begin. The electricity, gas and water supply industry was most likely to have already taken action against Y2K, while the construction industry was least likely. A quarter of businesses said they did not believe they would be affected and 16 per cent were either unsure what action to take or unaware of the problem. The survey found nearly all (99 per cent) of large business employing 200 employees or more were aware of the problem, while only 54 per cent of small businesses with only one to four employees were. The cost of preparation for 2000 rose in proportion with the size of the company, with half of all large businesses spending more than A$100, 000. "These businesses which intend to take action on the Year 2000 problem make a significant contribution to the Australian economy," the survey said. The bureau said there was little difference between the states, although South Australia and Western Australia had larger proportions of businesses which had commenced Y2K work. Virtually all of the businesses which intend to take action on the Year 2000 problem expect their work to be completed by December 1999 - regardless of their industry, location or size. The survey said only 13 per cent of all businesses had begun developing contingency plans for disruptions caused by Y2K, with the lowest rate in agriculture and construction and the highest rate in the electricity, gas and water supply industry. The millennium bug or Y2K problem refers to the fact that some computer systems recognise only the final two digits of the year, leading to potential failure when the clocks tick over to 2000. Business can avoid problems by a number of methods, including using specially designed software and equipment with embedded chips. ASIA PULSE