Labor and Liberal: both bereft of ICT policy, says AIIA

Stuart Corner
Monday, 29 October 2007 10:43

IT Policy - Regulation

The AIIA has accused both major political parties of an obsessive focus on broadband telecommunications policy at the expense or clear policies on the wider aspects of information and communications technology.

The move comes as AEEMA has called for an incoming government to spell out an innovation policy ,  a call echoed by a leading academic, who has singled out the Coalition in particular as ignoring a report from the Business Council of Australia last year for a report arguing that Australian innovation needed a clear framework of strategic support.

AIIA CEO, Sheryle Moon, said that while the parties bickered over who had the best plan for Australia's broadband future the underlying issues were not being addressed. "ICT is responsible for 4.6 percent of GDP and yet both the Coalition and Labor have failed over the first two weeks of the election campaign to deliver any vision for the future of ICT in Australia."

The major areas of concern to the AIIA, aside from broadband, are the ICT skills shortage, industry sector growth, environmental concerns with e-waste and shaping the business environment in areas such as government procurement.
 
"Where is the momentum from our political leaders to think beyond one area at a time? Neither party is giving our sector cause for optimism. They have had years to formulate policy and yet appear to be hamstrung by one issue while neglecting the rest," Moon claimed. "For the sake of over 500,000 Australians employed in the ICT sector and for an industry which exports $5.7 billion worth of goods and services, I think we deserve better."

In its call for an innovation policy, AEEMA also called for "support the 10 year strategic vision of the National ICT Industry Alliance for the Australian information and communications technology (ICT) sector – 'Energising Innovation'."

This was issued earlier this year by NICTIA - body with over 20 member organisations, including AIIA. The AIIA however did not participate and subsequently produced its own ICT Industry Policy Action Plan for the upcoming federal election