Morrison government chases 250,000 jobs with $1.2bn digital investment
Australia will try to cash in on a digital jobs boom by pouring $1.2bn into Artificial Intelligence, games development, contactless payment and e-invoicing.
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Australia will try to cash in on a digital jobs boom by pouring $1.2 billion into Artificial Intelligence, games development and red-tape busting measures for small business like contactless payment and e-invoicing.
In a bid to become a global leader and exporter of groundbreaking cyber security technology, drones and digital identification systems, the federal government will unveil a raft of new investments as part of its new Digital Economy Strategy.
The government will spend $124.1m on Artificial Intelligence initiatives lead by the CSIRO, including a plan to establish four hubs across the country and scholarships for 234 “homegrown” AI specialists.
Video game developers will be offered a 30 per cent refundable tax offset to grow Australia’s stake in the industry, which is already worth $144m a year domestically.
Small businesses will benefit from a $15.3m investment in e-invoicing to encourage uptake, as currently each paper-based invoice costs operators $20 per transaction.
More than $200m will be spent overhauling the myGov system to make it significantly easier for Australians to access services like Medicare, Centrelink and the ATO, while a further $301.8m will be spent improving the My Health Record and digital ID systems.
The health funding will allow Australians to see COVID-19 test results online, check their immunisation status and receive alerts when vaccinations are due.
It will also be used to transition aged care to a digital management system so elderly people don’t fall through the cracks due to poor information sharing between health facilities.
The government will also spend $40.2m to create a “digital atlas” of Australia, which can be used for modelling potential bushfires or virtually designing new roads.
The digital strategy includes $100m for a new pilot program designed to boost the country’s cyber workforce through cadetships at digital companies and scholarships for technology graduates.
Adopting new digital technology is expected to generate $315bn in gross economic value over the next decade, and could create up to 250,000 jobs in Australia by 2025, according to analysis by PwC.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said investment in digital technology was already happening around the world and Australia “must keep our foot on the digital accelerator” to recover from COVID-19.
“Every business in Australia is now a digital business,” he said.
“The tradesman or woman who seeks work through AirTasker, the farmer who keeps track of their herd with electronic tags or drones, the local Thai restaurant that sells through UberEats, MenuLog (or) Deliveroo.”
Digital Economy Minister Jane Hume said many Australians were already participating in the digital economy “without even realising it”.
“Every contactless purchase, e-invoice, business website or small business going online – it’s all part of it and it’s growing rapidly,” she said.
“This is a really exciting announcement, which will drive investment and uptake of emerging technologies, unlock the value of data, build skills for a modern economy, and enhance government service delivery.”
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