AEEMA wants an innovation policy

Stuart Corner
Monday, 29 October 2007 08:31

IT Policy - Regulation

AEEMA is calling on whatever government is returned after the upcoming election to:

•    commit to a broader appreciation of the whole innovation process in policy development;
•    establish a national innovation framework supported by a central body, 'Innovation Australia';
•    educate the community that innovation is a cumulative, step-by-step process, not research or a 'big bang' invention;
•    facilitate better linkages between business, university and research sectors; and
•    support the 10 year strategic vision of the National ICT Industry Alliance for the Australian information and communications technology (ICT) sector – 'Energising Innovation'.

In his Financial Review opinion piece (published on 29 October). Green said that the Business Council of Australia had last year  issued a report arguing that "Australian innovation needs a clear framework of strategic supoort to make sure local capabilities are translated into leading-edge, high value products and service" and he said that the ALP, through Victorian senator, Kim Carr, had "announced a comprehensive programme placing science, technology and innovation at the forefront of a reform agenda for government." In contrast  "The [Coalition] government's response...was minimal...although it did commit to a network of Australian Industry Productivity centres."

He pointed out that Australia's current prosperity was due largely to the resources boom of recent years and that "it would have required an unusual degree of [government] incompetence for a resource-rich economy not to benefit from favourable world conditions, especially, China's industrialisation."

Green likened Australia's situation to that of the European countries that had been the primary beneficiaries of the North Sea oil and gas boom of the seventies - the UK, Holland and Norway - and noted that only Norway had been far-sighted enough to look beyond that boom. "Norway...established a 'future fund' and channelled investment not only to world share markets but also to the research and innovation infrastructure recognised as essential to build a knowledge-based economy."