The old saying ‘if it rains, it pours’ applies in Second Life this week. The Australian Internet Industry Association (IIA) is launching their SL presence tonight.

IIA Island contains a sizeable sandbox, cafe, freefall platform and assorted buildings. The launch is being held tonight at 6.30pm AEST. The plans for the launch are:

“Streaming music of original Aussie bands is being supplied by MP3.com.au. The artists will be in attendance (as their avatars) to support the launch and mingle with the guests. To coincide with tonight’s launch, a short legal forum will consider legal issues relating to 3D virtual worlds. Nic Suzor and Nick Abrahams are recognised legal experts in this area and have agreed to present at the forum in the Andrew McLaughlin auditorium commencing shortly after the 6.30pm launch.”

I was interested to note one of the key sponsors was Optus – a small foray into Second Life for Telstra’s largest competitor but at least a start.

It’s also worth noting that the AIIA (Australian Information Industry Association) launched in May in a more modest way. So we now have an IIA and an AIIA – and both demonstrate the increasing commitment of the IT industry in Australia to Second Life.

Check it out in-world.