The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) strongly supports a number of key directional industry statements made yesterday by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, at the CeBIT Broadband Infrastructure Forum in Hanover.
 
The Minister’s view that the Australian Government recognises the importance of strong technology infrastructure to the future of Australian society and the wider economy is welcomed by AIIA.
 
Senator Conroy asserts that “broadband will be a vital building block for Australia’s future productivity and prosperity,” and that the government has placed it “at the forefront of a national building infrastructure agenda.”
 
As part of that agenda, the government plans to place an emphasis on smart technology across all infrastructure investments, for example by mandating the inclusion of ‘smart sensors’ in roads and bridges as they are constructed.
 
“To get the strongest dividends from the online economy, it’s not so much about what we do in the digital world, but how we approach ‘business as usual’ that really counts,” said AIIA CEO Ian Birks.
 
“Applying a ‘technology first’ mentality in the approach taken to any given problem – whether it’s a business proposition, policy implementation or an investment in traditional infrastructure – changes the way that we think about challenges and develop solutions. Giving genuine consideration to technology as business models are developed will necessarily focus investment in the right areas.”
 
Senator Conroy’s speech highlights many of the key areas that Australia must address in order to compete successfully in the globally emerging knowledge and services based economies. Specifically the call-out of major technology-lead transformation initiatives such as widespread adoption of electronic health initiatives and the use of smart metering in power grids provides a pointer that the key stimulus initiatives adopted by the Obama administration in the USA are getting serious consideration up on the hill in Canberra.
 
This top-level recognition is the right place to start. AIIA and the wider industry will now wait with interest to see the detail that underpins these sentiments.
 
“Investing in a digital future will drive employment, develop exportable skills, and create an innovative, better connected economy and community. For these reasons, AIIA was disappointed to have seen extensive economic stimulus activities undertaken recently without reference to the importance of digital infrastructure to productivity, employment, and the positioning of the Australian economy for the challenges of the future,” Mr Birks said.
 
“Putting technology first will ensure our success in meeting those challenges. We look forward to detailed investment plans that will make this a reality.”