Members of the Taskforce have engaged in numerous individual and small group consultations. I met personally with relevant Ministers from most States and Territories. In addition, we invited and received submissions from a wide range of sources, held workshops and seminars in all major centres, sought out the opinions of business leaders, received the report of a wide ranging study into the competitiveness of Australia s information industries, and studied a number of recent reports of relevance. This is an extensive study undertaken by a consortium of consultants to provide, on a national, regional and global basis, a rigorous assessment of the competitiveness and strategic opportunities facing the Australian information technology, communications and multimedia sectors. The study reinforces our view that Australia s information industries are on the verge of a precipice.
Urgent action is required now.
Otherwise a number of domestic information industries companies are likely to move offshore and our prospects of attracting new investment will diminish in the face of better incentives from Asia and elsewhere. Because of the convergence of technologies and content as well as industries involved in the creation, distribution and management of information globally, information industries have already become major sectors of developed economies. They will become even more dominant in years to come. We have a concern that the true size and importance, in economic terms, of the information industries, and what is sometimes called the information economy , has not been as thoroughly understood by governments in Australia as it should have been. We believe there needs to be a greater focus on the need to grow and develop these industries in this country.