The worm didn't get a chance to react to the technology policies of Australia's two aspiring PMs last night. They were too busy talking about boats.

In fact, you had to wait until the 56th minute of the hour-long debate before there was any mention of technology at all. Just before the final gong, Julia Gillard confirmed her intention to continue with the massive NBN project. Two brief mentions, and that was it.

Now, while it would be naive to expect exhaustive discussion about the various technology related issues facing the country in a national televised debate, surely just a little wouldn't hurt?

Couldn't they have found some time, in between "moving forward" and "stopping the boats" to touch on some of the factors that will affect virtually everyone in the country?

The issues they didn't discuss included:

* The NBN: This vast network will touch every home and business in the country. Yet no one knows whether its construction will even continue should Tony Abbott win the contest.

* Immigration: There's been much talk about sustainable population growth, but nobody is clear about what imact migration cuts will have on skilled technology specialists. Will Aussie companies have access to the pool of international skills they need to grow?

* R&D: Other countries do much in the way of stimulating technology development through schemes that support R&D through grants and tax breaks. What do our leaders think of this and what are their plans? Who knows.

* The internet filter: This issue has been delayed, but it's still bubbling away in the background. How about a bit of discussion?

Even just a few minutes on these issues would help to clear up where the major parties stand. The worm would have provided instant feedback and we could have used the details to guide our decisions come polling day.

Let's hope that, if further live debates are scheduled, technology issues at least get more than a mention.