Open source advocates will get an official boost next week with State Government support for the Australian Open Source Symposium in Perth.

The State Government will be directly involved for the first time in the symposium's six-year history.

Run by the Australian Unix Users Group (AUUG), the symposium aims to foster awareness of open source among the broader ICT community and promote sharing of information within the open source community.

Open Source WA, officially launched by the State Government last month, will host the event in its demonstration centre.

AUUG treasurer and spokesperson Gordon Hubbard said: "I think that shows that open systems are having a larger presence in the public sector."

Kevin Russell, manager of IT and infrastructure at the Department of Industry and Resources said hosting this kind of event was exactly what the centre was set up for.

"We wanted the centre to enable open source developers to showcase economic and other opportunities arising from open systems," he said.

Hubbard said this was the first time the symposium would be held in Perth. The event has been held previously in Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.

Speakers from a range of commercial and academic organisations will address topics such as using open source in running community non-profit hosting, building a business on open source software, replacing Windows infrastructure with Linux and legal issues relating to open source.

The symposium will be held on October 28. Cost is $30 for students, $60 for AUUG and SLPWA members, $75 for members of ACS, BUGS, ISOC, Linux-Australia, LUV, PLUG, SAGE & SLUG and $100 for non-members. For more information see http://www.auug.org.au/events/2004/aoss.