The lights burn late into the night at Parliament House in Canberra as the government wrestles with many competing ideas about the future shape of Australia's communications system. With Galaxy, Optus Vision, Foxtel, 10 satellite channels and other large and small providers rushing to offer services, a Communications Minister's life is not an easy one at the moment. Indeed, you could say it never will be again.

Some of the world's largest media and computing companies are descending on Australia bearing gifts and spinning fantastic tales of future riches to be had - if we'll just sign on the bottom line. When their owners speak, our government and industry leaders find it hard not to listen.

Bill Gates' Microsoft is to bring his On Australia service through the Microsoft Network and the phone system to our computer screens after August. He tried to do a deal with Telstra to put a lot of the information the government carries in its many departments through his network of computers. Information from the ABC, Telstra and a range of government records, reports and legislation would be available only via On Australia . This would have taken care of most "narrowband", or computer and phone-line delivered, services. Luckily, other players got wind of the scam, er..., scheme, and the exclusive hosting of public information has been - at least temporarily - scrapped.

Rupert Murdoch's News Limited has recently taken Telstra under his wing to provide their cable system with programming and expert knowledge in how to jump start a pay cable television industry. He's doing more deals to tie up a large slab of the programs for the Foxtel cable service. And, if he gets his way - and he generally does - that will just about wrap up the "broadband" services delivering television by cable and satellite.

Some local interests are uneasy with all this international attention and rapid-fire dealmaking. They worry about their small place in the big picture. Cynics see it as a clandestine "privatisation" of public information and communications by a government not fully aware of the implications of these fast changing systems for Australian society and a wide range of industries.

Their position is that the "information industries" are such a huge part of our lives, our economy and our culture they should be more carefully managed as a valuable public resource under appropriate government control. Critics are also concerned that so little of the royalties from the technology and the programming are going to Australians. However, promoters instead see this as a chance to learn new skills and as a new market and, hence, a new opportunity, to produce and sell more world class entertainment and other services.

Back when building a nation was more about roads, shipping, planes and trains than complicated communications systems, things seemed more straightforward. In those days a Minister could cope with both Transport and Communications in their portfolio.

Now Communications is more than enough, almost by itself. And the Minister will still be up late most nights.