One of the people who has been involved in the Internet industry since the early days remembers the period around the turn of the century as a "pretty volatile time" as the network was moving from being a niche technology to mainstream.

The first employee of Australia's Academic and Research Network, Geoff Huston, is still very much a nerd and one not inclined to puff up his own achievements – which include playing a pivotal role in setting up the Internet in this country 30 years ago. He believes the Internet has become toxic with inadequate security.

Sunday marks 30 years since the first packets were transmitted on the Internet in Australia. The network came to Australia because of a recognition by the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee, now Universities Australia, that the country was suffering a serious brain drain as many researchers were leaving the country.