ACS calls for incentives to attract ICT investment to NSW

Peter Dinham
Monday, 22 June 2009 10:43

Business IT - Technology

The Australian Computer Society wants greater government incentives in New South Wales to attract investment in the state’s ICT industry.

Responding to the NSW Government’s recent budget, the ACS called on the government to implement incentives to attract ICT investment as a means of creating jobs and improving the economic prosperity of the State.

ACS Chairman, Kumar Parakala, welcomed the budget and said that there were a number of initiatives within the budget, such as the digital education revolution rollout, preference to local suppliers for NSW Government procurement and the development of E-Government services, which would deliver benefits to the ICT sector in NSW.

Nevertheless, he said, however, that given the essential nature of ICT to business growth and the fact that ICT underpins productivity, innovation and development across all industry sectors, the ACS  would have liked to have seen greater emphasis placed on ICT, by way of “improved incentives to attract ICT investment to NSW and to boost the State’s ICT sector.”

Echoing his national chairman’s comments, Anthony Wong, chairman of the ACS NSW board, said he was pleased with the government’s decision to give preference to local suppliers, which he said would have positive impacts on ICT service providers, jobs and employment opportunities.
 
However, while saying that other industries such as film, had been given significant support by the government for some time now, he said ICT “needs to be recognised by the NSW Government as a powerhouse of the State’s economy.”

“There are currently 200,000 people employed in the ICT sector in NSW, which provides almost six percent of employment for the State and we are expecting this figure to continue to grow.

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