Some visionaries at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) recognisd early on that the Internet is tailor-made for answering clients' questions by a variety of means. And they guessed that the end result could be (i) very consistent answers, and (ii) really very timely responses.

Consonant was called in at the start of these rumblings, working on a prototype Web system for people to estimate the total HECS cost of their courses before they started. In time, the project expanded into a full-scale search for intelligent agent software that would apply its' smarts to email and Web.

From the start of the project, where he had initially been writing Web-based applications in JavaScript and PERL, Adam moved on to be the technology advisor on the Tender Evaluation Panel. This was a surprisingly arduous process that involved a tonne of research, travel and even experiencing a small earth tremor on the 5th floor of a building in Wellington.

When eventually the products were selected, Adam continued to provide advice in developing applications with the selected tools, as well as delivering the odd bit of training in applying real-world business rules to the on-line environment.