NBN and mining key opportunities to grow Australian IT: Bligh

Stan Beer
Sunday, 25 July 2010 21:05

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The National Broadband Network rollout has been identified as a huge opportunity to grow IT in Queensland according to the head of the state Government. Another key area includes the burgeoning mining software industry.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh yesterday indentified information technology as a core driver of productivity growth for the State. She made the comments to over 750 attendees at the ICT Industry Luncheon in Brisbane, a joint event hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) with the Australian Computer Society and other ICT Industry Workgroup partners.

A key theme of the Premier’s address was the need to build on the National Broadband Network rollout through local investment in order to maximise the opportunities offered by technology-led growth across Queensland.

“We see NBN as one of the biggest and best opportunities we’ve had as a state to grow your industry and to grow its strength as the driver of our economy.” said Premier Bligh.

The Premier noted strong ICT investment in many sectors of the Queensland economy including the resources sector, which is now developing groundbreaking autonomous mining software.

Australia’s largest home grown software company is Brisbane-based global mining software leader Mincom.

Queensland has also developed a leadership position in the Games sector, with up to 40 percent of the national industry now based in that state.

Premier Bligh was joined by Robert Schwarten MP, Minister for Public Works and Information and Communication Technology and Mal Grierson, Director-General Department of Public Works in a strong show of the Queensland Government’s support for the Digital Economy and technology-based economic initiatives.

“Queensland has demonstrated a clear commitment to the local ICT industry, including funding support for activities such as World Computer Congress, funding local companies at the SFO Games show, funding local companies at CeBIT and supporting the recent SIMTech show,” said AIIA CEO Ian Birks. “We believe this is a sensible approach that will pay dividends into the future.”

Through the ICT Industry Workgroup, of which AIIA is a key member, the Queensland Government has worked closely with the technology sector to develop a strategic approach to the adoption of technologies that will drive productivity across the State economy into the future.