Schools should teach kids how to write computer code as a basic part of the education curriculum or risk Australia falling behind, technology leaders argued on Tuesday.

Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes said the lack of computer basics teaching in schools came down to the federal government’s reluctance to face the importance of technology. “The government doesn’t understand technology," Mr Cannon-Brookes told The Australian Financial Review and Macquarie Future Forum in Sydney.