Paul Budde was born in Vught, the Netherlands, on 8 September 1950. His parents Herman Budde and Annie Velthuis were born in Ootmarsum. (See also: The War of my Parents) In 1953 the family moved to Oss. Paul has a sister, Monique, and a brother, Rob. After his education and military service, Paul worked for Rank Xerox in Amsterdam. In 1978 he established his own company “Copy Team” in Oss, a service bureau utilising – at that time – the latest copying and word processing equipment. In particular, Paul specialised in providing online services based on the predecessor of the internet, videotex.
In 1972 he married Louise van Daal who was born in Mill. Together they have three children, Merlijn, Erwin and Ravian. In 1983 he moved with his family to Australia, where they first settled in Sydney. Later, the family moved to Bucketty in the Hunter Valley. In 2019 Paul and Louise moved to Brisbane.
In Australia Paul and Louise continued their own company. Paul assisted Telecom Australian (Telstra) to introduce the national online service Viatel, utilising the new videotex technology. His company also developed the first national telebanking service in the world for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. As these new technologies were largely unknown, Paul started to publish newsletters and over the years this grew into a global research business with analysts and researchers.
Paul is frequently interviewed on radio and television current affairs and news programs, as well as by the leading national and international financial and business press. He is quoted in company prospectuses and his knowledge of the industry is a valuable resource at the governmental level.
Paul was the strategic adviser to the Minister for Broadband and Digital Development, Steven Conroy, in relation to the development of the National Broadband Network in Australia.
In 2009, he discussed the national broadband concept he had developed in personal meetings with US President Barack Obama’s technology advisor in the White House, as well as with senior people within the US Administration and the FCC. He had similar meetings with Ministers Frank Heemskerk (Netherlands) and Steven Joyce (New Zealand).
Together with ITU Secretary General Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Paul was the co-founder of the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development. He was also the lead author of a report presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2010.
Paul was also invited by the Australian High Commissioner in India to present at a media symposium in Chennai. In that same year he also organised several strategic workshops in China.
He has been involved in strategic smart energy (Smart Grid Australia) and smart city planning with over 50 councils and local communities throughout Australia.
In 2017 Paul was awarded the prestigious Charles Todd Medal for services to the telecommunications industry. In that same year he successfully sold this company to the French-based company Ubiquick, who continues the company under the existing name.
Involvement with the DACC
Paul was part of the DACC at the Centre’s beginnings in 1984. He became active in the Centre again in 2017 when he joined the board. In 2018, Paul was elected Chairman, a role he has held since then (correct at time of writing in 2026). As Chairman, Paul has guided the DACC through a transitional period by revitalising the Centre’s membership base and board, establishing strong connections with researchers and partner organisations throughout Australia and overseas, and overhauling DACC’s digital presence. Paul is a key contributor of informational articles published on DACC’s website, especially articles covering aspects of shared WW2 Dutch-Australian-Indonesian-Netherlands East Indies history, migration history, and military & political history.
History
Paul’s hobby is history. He was the local historian in Oss, where he wrote numerous articles in the local press and published several books. In Australia he is the founder and chairman of the Convict Trail Project, looking after the 220km-long Great North Road that was built by convict labour between 1826 and 1836. In 2002 he received the NSW Government Heritage Volunteers Award for this initiative and for his work on the project. He also maintains an extensive website on medieval European history. As well as being Chairman of the DACC, since 2022 Paul has been chairman of the Camp Columbia Heritage Association Inc.
