Minister Kim Carr addressing the Public Sphere event on ICT & Creative Industry Development, hosted by Senator Kate Lundy on the 28th August 2009.

Transcript below:

As the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, it is a pleasure to participate remotely in this public sphere on ICT and Creative Industry development in Australia..

This event puts the theory of online collaboration into practice by linking the emerging ICT hub at Wollongong with Melbourne, Brisbane and participants around the world.

It gives people the chance to share their ideas with each other and with the Australian Government.

It is hard to overstate the significance of information and communication technologies to our economy and our way of life.

This is an industry that employs 400,000 people and generates $100 billion a year in sales.

Most Australian households and virtually all Australian businesses have access to information and communication technologies.

Yet this event isn’t just about ICT.

It is also about the creative industries.

These industries are critical to Australia’s innovation capacity and performance, and they are playing an increasingly important part in the knowledge economy.

The Australian Government has recognised this – to cite just one example from my own portfolio – by establishing the Enterprise Connect Creative Industries Innovation Centre.

It delivers business improvement services to firms engaged in media production, digital design, branding, dance, festival organisation, advertising, marketing, community broadcasting, theatre, computer game development, publishing, and more.

All Enterprise Connect centres actively encourage their clients to make more effective use of ICT.

This is one of the surest ways firms can increase their efficiency and productivity.

All the evidence tells us that smart spending on ICT can deliver immediate benefits at relatively low cost – both important considerations in these difficult economic times.

This is just one reason why the government has announced significant new investments of its own to strengthen Australia’s ICT capabilities.

This year’s budget included:

- new funding for ICT to support cutting-edge research through the Super Science Initiative

- renewed support for National ICT Australia

- a new Small Business Online program – which opened for applications last weekend

- and, of course, new funding to kick-start the $43 billion National Broadband Network.

This landmark project will support online services we have scarcely imagined yet, and ready Australia to take advantage of the new opportunities that will emerge as the digital century unfolds.

At the same time, I have established an Information Technology Industry Innovation Council to help us increase the impact of Australian technologies and know-how, both at home and abroad.

The OECD says the internet and related information and communication technologies are “arguably the most important platforms for innovation today”.

Public Sphere No. 3 will both articulate and reinforce the connection between ICT, innovation, and the creative industries.

It is a credit to Senator Kate Lundy and everyone involved, and I wish it every success.