Lock up your laptops - the "World's Biggest Luddite" is coming to the UK.

The Australian Government has confirmed earlier rumours that former communications minister Richard Alston is to be its next high commissioner to London.

While one senior minister said Alston would make "an outstanding high commissioner", the opposition Down Under say it's just another "job for the boys".

Either way, Dick is the chap who tried to ban online gambling, attempted to outlaw the forwarding of emails and blamed South Koreans' love of porn for the country's enthusiastic adoption of broadband.

He also managed to blow AU$4m (£1.6m) on The Department of Communications, IT and the Arts website - a mere AU$3.4m (£1.4m) over budget

And he described a non-profit organisation representing internet users concerned with online freedoms and rights as "the spokespeople of the porn industry" and was famously embroiled in a row concerning the loan of a swish plasma screen TV from monster telco Telstra.

And now he's coming to the UK.

Dickie will be taking up his job in February, just enough time to settle in, see some of the sights and spend a nail-biting summer watching England take on the Aussies in the Ashes. ®

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