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E-MESSAGECANBERRA IS AN EXCITING LOCATION FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) DEVELOPMENTS.CANBERRA HAS A NUMBER OF FEATURES:
• highly skilled knowledge based community• strong network of internationally competitive businesses• extensive research facilities• bush setting that is safe and promotes lifestyle pursuits• supportive government
CONTACT DETAILS FOR CANBERRA AS A BUSINESS LOCATION: www.business.act.gov.au
ISBN 0 642 60106 2
© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra 2001
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under
the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process
without written permission from Information Planning and Services,
Department of Urban Services, ACT Government, GPO Box 158,
Canberra City ACT 2601.
Produced by Publishing Services for the Chief Minister’s Department.
GPO Box 158 Canberra City ACT 2601.
Email; www.act.gov.au/cmd/
Phone (02) 6205 0305
Publication No 01/1089
http://www.act.gov.au
Telephone: Canberra 13ACT1 or 132 281
SITE MAP
CANBERRA’S CAPITAL 5 STRENGTHS
Clever community 7 highest rate of IT penetration
smartest workforce
highest standard of living
concentrated intellectual capital
best schools
IT-savvy government 11 enabling infrastructure
key strategic partnerships
proactive IT strategies
attractive incentives for business
active support for tech-businesses
eliminating barriers to doing business
Mature and innovative IT economy 17 world-class local IT entrepreneurs
flourishing IT hub
E-commerce friendly
unique national network hubs
world-class R&D
effective incubators, venture capital
and mentoring
international investment attraction
4
CANBERRA’S HUMAN CAPITAL
5
The nature and role of Canberra as the National Capital has attracted a population that
is highly educated and computer literate when compared to the rest of Australia and the
world. Information Technology (IT) is the focus of this document, and the term implies
all activities that are information based - for example, information management, software
development, computing, communications, hardware manufacturing, recognition
technology and security systems.
In Canberra most people work in areas that support the gathering of information, its
manipulation into knowledge and its communication to the rest of Australia. Analysis of
the Australian IT industry reveals that Canberra can lay claim to the title of the “IT
Capital of Australia’.1 In Canberra, 1 in every 25 jobs is in the IT industry compared
with the national average of about 1 in 50 jobs. IT is the fastest growing industry in
Australia. The number of IT businesses and employment in IT is growing fastest in
Canberra. It is no surprise that the IT industry is core to the Australian Capital Territory’s
(ACT) economic development. The IT industry contributes 10.6% to the ACT’s annual
economic activity and directly generates $1.34 billion in income for the ACT.
The ACT Government has long recognised the economic and cultural significance of the
Information Age for Canberra’s prosperity. It has taken entrepreneurial decisions that
have successfully nurtured Canberra’s continued evolution into a knowledge-based
community. Canberra-Australia’s Quiet E-volution celebrates the effort and successes to
date, and acknowledges the participants. It briefly sketches the Government’s measured
approach to the growth of Canberra’s knowledge-based economy through:
• alliances with the local IT business community;
• active support for both public and private sector IT endeavours;
• disciplined strategic planning;
• focused tactical initiatives; and,
• targeted budget support.
Once a predominantly public service city, Canberra has been quietly reinventing itself
over the past decade. At the same time as achieving one of the country’s lowest
employment rate, 60 per cent of private workforce is now in the private sector, a statistic
1 Trends, St.George Bank Limited May 2001
that confirms the rich diversity of talent that abounds in Canberra. As a function of being
the National Capital, the city is dominated by service industries and it’s predicted these
industries will show the highest growth between 2000 and 2005.
This document, Canberra–Australia’s Quiet E-volution uses examples to tell the story
about how the Territory has been carefully positioned, over several years, to encourage
the development of our knowledge-based community - culturally, educationally,
economically, and commercially. An OECD working group recently described Canberra
as having the potential to become one of the world’s knowledge capitals. A knowledge
capital combines social, economic and urban structure in such a way that there is an
intense generation of ideas and innovation. Knowledge capitals are where smart
businesses cluster to benefit from the intense generation of ideas. The cities in turn
benefit from the rapid employment growth associated with the companies.2
The ACT Government extends a warm welcome to new businesses and organisations
that wish to become part of this unique community.
6
2 OECD working group led by Dr Josef Konvitz, Head of Division, Territorial Reviews and Sustainable Development, OECD (Future Canberra Conference, May
2001) looking at sustainable urban renewal in the six cities, Canberra, Belfast, Glasgow, Krakow and two other cities.
Public and Private share of ACT total employment
ABS Labour Force Australia cat no 6202.0 & Wage and Salary Earners Cat No 6248.0
Private Public
Perc
ent
Nov-93 Nov-94 Nov-95 Nov-96 Nov-98Nov-97 Nov-990.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
Share of Total employment by Industry
ABS Labour Force Selected Summary tables Cat No 6291.0.40.001
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0%
Government administration and defenceProperty and business services
Construction
Retail tradeEducation
Health and community servicesAccommodation, cafes and restaurants
Cultural and recreational servicesPersonal and other services
Finance and insuranceCommunication services
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
ManufacturingWholesale trade
Transport and storage
Electricity, gas and waterMining
ACTNational
CLEVER COMMUNITY
7
Canberra has a highly educated, information-rich population.It has a ‘culture’ of life-long learning embedded in theoccupations and lifestyles of its citizens. Not surprisingly,Canberrans lead their counterparts in other parts of Australiaon all technology take-up indices and have the mostcomputer literate population in Australia. The talent bank ingeneral, and the IT talent bank in particular, is vast, andmakes Canberra a prime location for IT business development.
HIGHEST USAGE OF COMPUTING ANDTELECOMMUNICATIONS IN AUSTRALIA
Canberra leads Australia in its take-up of computing and telecommunications, in the home
and in the workplace. It ranks as one of the most IT-connected communities in the world. The
vast majority of people in the ACT are employed as knowledge workers where the computer
and email are part of the standard toolkit. The ACT community has a high level of computer
literacy, with 4 in 5 adult Canberrans reporting using a computer regularly3.
In 19994: • 68% Canberra homes had computers; national average 48%;
• 35% Canberra households had Internet access; national average 22%; and,
• 62% Canberra adults use the internet as a source of communication,business, recreation and education; national average 41%.
SMARTEST WORKFORCEThe ACT has a knowledge-based economy supported by a knowledge-based community.
3 State of the Territory Report, 1999
4 Household Use of Technology Survey, 1999. Australian Bureau of Statistics
Proportion of people aged 15-64 with post school educational qualification, 2000
ABS Australian Social Trends 2001 Cat No 4102.0
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
Perc
ent
bachelor degree or higher
undergraduate orassociated diploma
skilled or basic vocational
qualification
total post school educational
qualification
ACT
National
• 28% Canberra workers have a bachelor or higher degree;
• 53% Canberrans have post-school qualifications;
• post school education participation levels are the highest in the country;
• more than 90% of ACT students stay at school till Year 12, well above the
Australian average; and,
• International studies show that ACT students regularly outperform their Australian
counterparts in maths and science5.
HIGHEST STANDARD OF LIVING
Territorians enjoy a high quality of life, partly because of the professionalised community
and its expectations for service delivery, and partly because of environmental factors such
as the design of the city and its rural location.
Economically, Canberra outperforms the rest of Australia6, with:
• strongest economic growth of 8.4% compared with 3.2% growth in State Final
Demand (SFD) nationally;
• smallest gap between rich and poor, with average annual income spanning
$34,000 - $52,000;
• highest average weekly earnings at $766.10 compared with $650.00 nationally;
• second lowest unemployment rate of 6.1% compared with 6.9% nationally;
• highest per capita disposable income at $29,364 compared with $21,904 nationally;
8
5 ACER Research - eg Williams, Numeracy & Literacy
6 ABS various at December, 2000
Annual growth in State Final Demand 1995-96 to 1999-00
14%
10%
12%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000
Source: ABS, Australian National Accounts, State Accounts, 1999-00 Cat No 5220.0
NationalACT
9
• highest level of personal investment per capital; and,
• high level of home ownership.
Canberra is healthy, safe, and green,7 demonstrated by:
• highest participation rate in sports and physical activities;
• low incident rate of crimes against persons and property; and,
• highest recycling rates.
Culturally, Canberra is rich in its diversity with:
• about 80 international embassies;
• 22% of the population born outside Australia;
• 15% of the population speak a second language;
• approximately 4000 international students attend Canberra’s schools, universities and
other tertiary institutions; and,
• the annual National Multicultural Festival.
CONCENTRATED INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL
Canberra is home to a high number of individuals and organisations with a national and
international reputation. A challenge for the ACT Government is how to get the best
out of its unique, and valuable community resource – its human/intellectual capital.
Specifically:
• Canberra scientists recently won 11 of the 33 “citation Laureate” national awards,
including the top 3 spots;
• 30% elected Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are Canberra residents
of Medical Research;
• three Nobel Prize Winners have been associated with the John Curtin School at the
Australian National University (ANU);
• the ANU houses the largest concentration of research activity of any Australian
university with research schools and centres covering humanities and social sciences,
7 State of the Territory Report, 1999
Asian and Pacific Studies, medical, earth, biological, physical and environmental
sciences, astronomy, engineering and information technology; and,
• The University of Canberra Innovation Centre is a high technology centre providing an
intellectual environment dedicated to university-industry interaction for advanced technologies,
to facilitate new technologies, products and ideas for communities and industries.
BEST SCHOOLS
The ACT education system has a long tradition of innovation and responsiveness. The
ACT Government recognises the fundamental importance of having students and
teachers as key contributors to, and participants in, a flourishing knowledge-based
culture and has invested accordingly:
Educational Outputs
• 92% ACT students complete Year 12, national average 72%;
• highest acceptance rate of ACT students into Australian universities;
• from 2001, 95% of Year 10 students will enter Year 11 with a Certificate in IT
Competencies; and,
• 36% of Year 12 students in 2000 completed an IT related course.
Enabling Infrastructure
• In 1995, 100% of schools were connected to the Internet, the first school system in
Australia to do so;
• All Government schools will be connected to the TransACT broadband network over
the next three years offering a range of services including high speed access and
internet connection. This whole of system network will provide opportunities for
video conferencing, lectures and speeches by eminent persons, interactive classes and
access to resources provided by Screen Sound Australia, the National Museum of
Australia and others;
• By the end of 2001, there will be one computer terminal for every two students in
government schools and every teacher in the government school system will have
access to a PC; and,
• Four colleges are IT and Multi-media Skills Training Centres, providing industry-based
courses to an advanced level.
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IT-SAVVY GOVERNMENT
11
The ACT Government has always been a strategic andinnovative user of IT. It has a long history of effectivelyharnessing technologies to improve its services, and to worksmarter. The ACT Government recognises that IT isfundamental to Canberra’s economic future and to thequality of life enjoyed by all Canberrans. An array of strategicand tactical initiatives has been implemented specifically tofoster IT as both an economic cornerstone and a work tool inthe ACT. For information: www.innovation.act.gov.au
ENABLING INFRASTRUCTURE
Commitment to service delivery has been a long-standing priority of the ACT
Government. To this end, key IT infrastructure decisions have been taken to support
improved service delivery, and the smarter working of staff.
WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT APPROACHES
• ACTNet was the first government-wide Virtual Private Network created by an
Australian government and is fundamental to the ongoing single point-of-contact
strategy to enhance community service;
• Electronic Transactions Act (2000) was enacted by the ACT Government to
underpin expansion of government electronic service delivery and secure electronic
transactions;
• Canberra Connect is a new ACT Government initiative that enhances existing
facilities whereby people may access government services through shopfronts, one
convenient phone number and one web address. The online services include bus
timetables and tickets, vehicle registrations and renewals, rates and land tax, building
conveyancing enquiries and parking permits. Subsequent phases will tackle making
the more complex government services available online;
• Health First is a “one-stop-shop” for ACT health consumers, integrating telephone
and internet-based services into a single access point. It was introduced in 2001 to
support triage decisions by people concerned about symptoms of illness, as well as
search facilities for a comprehensive range of health information services;
• Electronic Voting and Vote Counting For the first time at an Australian
parliamentary election, some voters at the October 2001 ACT Legislative Assembly
election will vote electronically, through secure local networks at four pre-poll centres
and a number of polling places around the ACT; and,
• ACT Government E-learning Hub is a professional development, online
management and brokerage system that offers online, classroom, seminar and
customised courses developed through an initiative with Raytheon Australia.
PROACTIVE IT STRATEGIES
Innovation is at the heart of economic prosperity, job creation and thus community
wellbeing. The ACT Government has set in place a range of initiatives that will promote
innovation and the growth of IT usage and business development. These include:
• ACTsmart: The Australian Capital Information Industries Direction
Statement was formulated in 1999 by the ACT Government, in conjunction with
the Territory’s dynamic IT sector. It articulates the government’s commitment to
fostering the ACT’s potential in the information industries. One of the first tactical
initiatives to come from ACTsmart was a focus on Call Centres, designed to create
1,200 new jobs in the region. It was very effective, with several significant installations
in Canberra almost immediately;
• Telstra Managed Business Centre comprises a demonstration call centre
showcasing state-of-the-art telecommunications facilities, and employed 120
people initially, with projected growth to 500 positions over four years;
• Ansett Airlines Reservation Call Centre is a new, purpose-built facility, initially
accommodating 170 staff with capacity to expand to 390 staff;
• AGL Customer Contact Centre is a 24 hour service with the latest telephony
systems currently employing 34 operators with capacity to grow to 54;
• EDS Call Centre services the IT requirements of a number of Commonwealth
Government agencies;
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13
• The Innovation Framework identifies education, community based arts and
science, communication, business and government services as the sectors that are
critical to Canberra’s sustainable success as an innovative community. This document
outlines the programs and strategies in place to promote innovation
www.innovation.act.gov.au
• The ACT Photonics Industry Strategy outlines the steps that will be taken by the
ACT Government and strategic partners to encourage the development of a world
competitive photonics cluster in Canberra.
ATTRACTIVE INCENTIVES FOR BUSINESS
The ACT Government has introduced many initiatives that are designed to build on the
Region’s natural advantages and encourage businesses to establish, expand or relocate
to Canberra.
• ACT Business Incentive Scheme (ACTBIS) assists in the development of
significant new business investment and employment in the ACT through a package
of offerings including tax concessions and land grants. Sixty applications have so far
been approved, resulting in over 1,700 full time equivalent jobs. These same
businesses are expected to offer an additional 3,000 jobs over the next decade.
Recent recipients include:
• ADC Australia, to assist with the development of an internationally competitive
fibre optic component manufacturing facility;
• Acton Semiconductors, to assist with the development of a fabrication facility
at Amtech Estate, for the manufacture of opto-electronic devices for use in fibre
optic networks;
• BlueLab R&D Centre is a joint venture between the Australian National
University and Taiwan’s Yuh Chen Group. Their current initiative is to develop
Light Emitting Diodes capable of replacing conventional light sources and
reducing electricity usage around the world. They are also developing
next-generation applications for high-capacity data storage; and,
• Prime Television, to locate its Digital Broadcast Centre to Canberra. This will
service Prime’s regional television network throughout Australia from 2002.
www.primetv.com.au;
• ACT Research and Development Grants Scheme has been allocated $11M over
2000-2003, and was set up expressly to commercialise research and development in
knowledge-based industries. In seven months of operations, the R&D Panel has
approved 29 applications for $3.4M funding. Some of the recipients have been:
• Intology Ltd, developing Klarity software which analyses text to provide an
understanding and summary of the textual content www.intology.com.au ;
• The Distillery Pty Ltd, applying advanced computer intelligence techniques to
improve the usefulness of available computer information by presenting it to users
in various visualised formats including data relationship diagrams, spatial and
temporal representations www.thedistillery.com.au;
• NR Pty Ltd, developing a range of leading edge remote ground sensor scalable
systems which operate in various formats [email protected];
• Seeing Machines, commercialising computer vision technology for human
machine interaction that can pinpoint where a person is looking. The
objective of the company is to be a world leader in computer vision products,
particularly in the automotive, multi-media and entertainment industries.
www.seeingmachines.com.au.
Acknowledging the growing Australia-wide shortage of IT skills, the ACT Government has
deliberately implemented strategies in support of IT-related skill acquisition:
• IT Cadetships, where $450,000 has been provided to place successful applicants
with public and private sector organisations, to receive training in software
development, network engineering, and multi-media integration;
• Year 12 NetWORK scholarships, to fund selected Year 12 students in a career
transition program designed to provide IT skills training and guaranteed job
placement.
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ACTIVE SUPPORT FOR TECH-BUSINESSES
The ACT Government is keen to support further growth in the IT industry and has
established BusinessACT to assist companies grow in the ACT by:
• stimulating private sector diversification;
• developing an internationally competitive business environment;
• attracting national and international companies;
• promoting business networking and export activities; and
• delivering business support and development programs.
The following is a summary of some of the business support programs offered by Business ACT.
Further details can be obtained at www.business.act.gov.au or 1800 244 650.
ADVISORY GROUPS
• Information Industries Development Board was established to advise
Government and assist the expansion of local hi-tech industries to national and global
markets. The Board comprises academic, business and government representatives;
• The government maintains strong links to the business community through the
CanTrade advisory board, who provide information and guidance on a range of
issues including developing the ACT business sector, identifying and helping the
Government with investment opportunities.
LAND
The ACT Government has set aside land suitable for the establishment of technology
businesses. These are located at several sites around Canberra. Acquisition of
suitable sites from which to conduct business is also one of the incentives offered in the
ACTBIS package.
ELIMINATING BARRIERS
Doing business with government can sometimes be a time-consuming and challenging
process. The ACT Government has provided a one-stop shop approach for business:
• ACT Business Gateway is an Internet-based entry point and single phone number
for everything from information on taxation requirements, local business policies
to on-line applications for business licenses. Up to 11 payments can be made
online and a feature of the system will be its use of the client’s ABN to reduce
data entry;
• Canberra Business Advisory Service is a suite of activities that support in the
establishment, operation and development of business in the Canberra Region. The
kinds of services offered include seminars and workshops, mentoring, advice and
business facilitation;
• ACT Small Business Growth Program provides small businesses with subsidies
to offset their costs in employing consultants to give advice on strategic and
business planning.
16
MATURE AND INNOVATIVE IT ECONOMY
17
Canberra has maintained the fastest growth in the number ofIT businesses and the fastest IT employment growth of allAustralian States and Territories8. Despite its relatively smallpopulation, Canberra has experienced remarkable growth inits IT sector, expanding 23 per cent between 1995/6 and1998/9, compared with a national growth of 15 per cent.9 Anumber of Canberra IT companies rank in Australia’s fastestgrowing top 5010. Not surprisingly, business confidence in theTerritory is consistently higher than the national average11.
An important factor in developing IT businesses that are world competitive is access to
sophisticated customers including the Federal and State agencies in Canberra.
WORLD-CLASS LOCAL IT ENTREPRENEURS
A significant number of Canberra companies have developed internationally competitive
products and services including:
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
• APIR Systems is the financial services industry’s trusted e-commerce infrastructure
provider, supplying the industry standard identification and coding service,
participant authentication and SmartCard PKI security regime. APIR Systems is
developing a centralised real-time adviser compliance system www.apir.com.au;
• Softlaw Corporation’s world leading technology enables the online interactive
assessment of eligibility to complex legislative requirements. It removes the need
for decision-makers to be experts, ensures decisions are correct and auditable,
and enables innovative approaches to e-government service delivery
www.softlaw.com.au ;
• Tower Software specialises in Information Management systems, and
has major contracts in 30 countries, including the USA and Australia
www.towersoft.com.au; and,
8 Trends, St George Bank Ltd. May 2001
9 ABS 8/2000
10 BRW. 18 May 2001
11 Small Business Index (net balance). Yellow Pages. Aug 1999
• Wizard Information Services is a leading IT services and applications solutions
provider exporting to clients in Asia, Europe and North America. Wizard’s products
include an e-business solution, Meta*WizDom which is used to create and manage
complex web sites, both content and transactions. It is currently being used to
provide a whole of Government e-Business solution for the ACT Government
www.wizardis.com.au.
ON-LINE TRAINING APPLICATIONS
• Catalyst Interactive is recognised as one of the global leaders in innovative
e-learning solutions, with clients around the world, including the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Health Canada, Yorkshire Bank, News Corporation
and Qantas. They have offices around Australia and in Canada, UK and USA
www.catalystinteractive.com.au;
• Swish Group’s e-learning division, Learning Curve, exports multimedia professional
development products and services to 25 countries. It has strong links with
Macromedia in the USA. www.learning-curve.com.au, www.swish.com.au;
SECURITY APPLICATIONS
• Endurance Electronics delivers KeySafe security systems to the North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (NATO) operations www.endurance.com.au;
• Protocom Development Systems specialises in IT security applications. They
employ more than 20 staff and 60 consultants, with offices in the USA and Europe
www.protocom.com.au;
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
• Codarra Advanced Systems is developing an autonomous unmanned aerial
vehicle that can be easily programmed to fly over a specific area using a map on a
notebook computer www.codarra.com.au;
• Compucat Research is undertaking trials in China for vehicle tracking technology
in emergency services www.compucat.com.au;
• Electro Optic Systems manufacture laser guidance systems and large optical
telescopes and enclosures www.eos-aus.com;
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• WetPC develops computing equipment for use under any conditions using their
patented Chordic Graphic User Interface that enables underwater computing.
Suitable for use in oil and gas exploration, mining, defence and oceanographic
industries www.wetpc.com.au.
Fourty Defence Industry companies have grown up in the Canberra region in the past
10 years, with a current turn-over of $100m and employing 600-700 people. Some of
the advanced technologies being developed by Defence include:
• radar surveillance systems (CEA Technologies) www.cea.com.au;
• electro-optic fire control/surveillance systems (Fire Control Systems Pty Ltd)
www.eos-aus.com ;
• communications and other equipment (Australian Technology Information)
www.austechinfo.com.au ;
• systems for the evaluation and project management support of high, medium and
low risk tenders and quotations - both traditional and web enabled (Evalua Pty Ltd)
www.evalua.com.au.
FLOURISHING IT HUB
Canberra is already well established as a key IT hub in Australia. Key ingredients are
undoubtedly the highly skilled community, and the proliferation of higher education and
research institutions. The Federal Government’s presence is also a major catalyst.
In 1998-99 in the ACT12:
12 ABS Cat. No. 8669.0
Employment in computer services industry as a percentage of total population
0.0%
0.2%
0.4%
0.6%
0.8%
1.0%
1.2%
1.4%
1.6%
NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas NT ACT Aust
ABS Cat No 8669.0, Trends May 2001
Perc
ent
• total income from IT was $622.3M, comprising 6% of total national IT income;
• 729 IT businesses were in operation, comprising about 5% of IT companies nationally;
• average income per IT business was $853,600, compared to the national average
of $711,000 per annum.
Not to be overlooked in this context is the enormous purchasing power of the Federal
Government, with an annual spend IT of estimated of several billion dollars.
UNIQUE NATIONAL NETWORK HUBS
Canberra is the political and bureaucratic hub of the Australian people. Powerful technical
networks link the offices and outlets of Federal agencies; powerful people networks
conduct the lobbying and coordinating services in support of their business interests.
TECHNICAL NETWORKS
Federal Government agencies employ about 400,000 people Australia-wide, and have
invested in sophisticated and diverse telecommunications systems in order to achieve
their fundamental purpose of serving the Australian community. For example,
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade operates the Australian Diplomatic
Communications Network linking 85 posts around the world in a secure data
arrangement. This network may also be used by the other agencies with overseas
outposts, such as the Department of Immigration & Multicultural Affairs;
• Centrelink has integrated the Federal government’s social services, involving 23,000
staff spread over 450 sites, making more than 6 million payments per fortnight and
sending in excess of 100 million letters per year.
20
Income generated by the computer services industryper head of population
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas NT ACT Aust
ABS Cat No 8669.0, Trends May 2001
Dol
lars
21
PEOPLE NETWORKS
The ACT is a logical location for national bodies and business associations given its
proximity to Federal Government decision makers. The IT industry is well represented
through bodies such as:
• Australian Information Industries Association (AIIA) is the umbrella group
representing small medium and large companies, both local and international,
involved in developing, producing and distributing computer and
telecommunications hardware, infrastructure, software and service. Their goal is to
influence Federal and State governments to improve members’ business environment
and marketing the value and capability of the Australian IT&T industry
www.alia.com.au;
• Australian Electronic and Electrical Manufacturers Association (AEEMA)
represents local and international manufacturers in the electrical, electronic and
information and communication technologies (IT) industries. Their purpose is to
strengthen the competitive position of the Australian electrical, electronic and IT
industries and promote value-adding by those industries wherever possible, in both
domestic and international markets www.aema.com.au;
• Canberra Region Advanced Technology Manufacturing Association
(CRATMA) formed to assist both Government and industry in the formulation of
policies affecting the advanced technology sector. CRATMA comprises Managing
Directors of approximately thirty high technology companies with an annual
turnover in excess of $450 M last year and employing over 1520 people. A high
percentage of the turnover is in exports; and,
• Internet Industry Association of Australia (IIA) Australia’s national industry
body for internet commerce, content and connectivity www.iia.net.au.
E-COMMERCE FRIENDLY
In Australia, governments increasingly conduct their business electronically. The Federal
and ACT Governments lead the country in their use of IT, and this is reflected in local
business usage.
• Reports E-commerce Beyond 2000 and E-commerce across Australia13
predict that Canberra will enjoy the highest net benefit from electronic commerce of
all Australian states and territories. Their findings suggest that the ACT economy will
realise substantial gains from the greater use of e-commerce and that the Territory is
about three or more years ahead of most other States.
• The ACT community has widespread “e-commerce friendliness”:
• SMEs are already e-commerce active, with 72% connected to the Internet in
1999, compared to 60% nationally;14
• Community has a relatively long history of using an Internet-based system of
information and transaction kiosks (AUSTOUCH), introduced in the mid 1990s and
providing 24 hour access to bill payment, licensing, and information services.
• TransACT is a locally based telecommunications initiative that will deliver high speed
broadband services to the majority of Canberra’s households and businesses by the
end of 2002. These services include multiple telephone lines and continuous broad
band access to the Internet, enabling:
• online and interactive teaching, smartcard ticketing, and video conferencing facilities;
• interactive and pay television; and
• online government facilities, such as bill paying, renewing licenses, and approvals.
22
14 Yellow Pages Survey, 2000
13 National Office for the Information Economy, 2000.
23
EFFECTIVE INCUBATORS, VENTURE CAPITAL,AND MENTORING
Private sector and ACT Government energies have been invested in active and practical
support for innovative ideas that have emerged from local IT industries. Support ranges
from access to seed funding and grants, to free-of-charge specialist advice.
• Epicorp Limited; the Australian Capital Region’s technology commercialisation
centre assists new start and spin-off technology businesses through a comprehensive
program including specialist business development and support services,
accommodation, infrastructure, seed funding and access to later-stage finance.
Epicorp forms an important part of the IP commercialisation strategies for its owner
members, the CSIRO, ANU and University of Canberra and also assists businesses
from the general business community. The Epicorp Seed Fund provides equity
finance from $50k to $500k for eligible businesses;
• Business Angels Network operates within the ACT where the well networked
business community has a variety of high net worth individuals actively investing in
early stage ventures;
• Venture into Canberra for a Capital Investment program was an ACT
government initiative for 1999-2000 designed specifically to introduce leading
venture capital investors to the outstanding investment opportunities in the Canberra
Region. Sixteen venture capital firms were involved;
• Canberra Business Development Fund is a venture capital fund involving public
and private funds, with $4M available for investment in innovation;
• Australian Capital Ventures was formed in 2000 in recognition of the shortage
of start-up capital for innovative local businesses. This ACT-based venture capital fund
aims to inject over $30m in two stages; and,
• Renewable Energy Equity Fund (REEF) is a $27 million Federal Government
licensed venture capital fund based in Canberra supporting developments in
renewable energy and is a partnership between Magma Pty Ltd and Continental
Venture Capital to form CVC Investment Management Pty Ltd.
WORLD-CLASS R&D
For its size, Canberra has by far the highest concentration of high profile academic
researchers in Australia, making Canberra an ideal location for organisations undertaking
specific research challenges, for example:
• BlueLab R&D Centre is a joint venture between the Australian National University
and Taiwan’s Yuh Chen Group to develop next-generation applications for high-
capacity data storage.
• Similarly, Acton Lasers is a joint venture in the development and production of
ultra-small semiconductor lasers, one of the building blocks of the IT and
communications revolution.
• Biotron is currently engaged in a joint venture with the Australian National
University in two ground breaking projects:
• Virion - commercialising technologies shown in laboratory tests to arrest HIV; and,
• C-Test - investigating early stage detection and diagnosis of all forms of cancer
through simple blood tests.
Centres of excellence and innovation are well established in Canberra, with staff applying
IT to their ground breaking endeavours, for example:
• The Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing which houses the
largest computational research computing facility in Australia at its national facility at
the ANU. The resources of the National Facility consist of a range of systems (peak
computing system, software, mass storage systems, visualisation systems and data
communications) as well as professional staff;
• The Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems is a facility consisting of
industry, research organisations and universities working together in a space enterprise
to strengthen Australia’s expertise and industrial capability in satellite technologies;
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• Smart Internet Technical Cooperative Centre;
• National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH) is a
centre of excellence in research and graduate teaching in epidemiology and
population health. It is jointly funded by the Commonwealth Public Health Education
and Research Program (PHERP) and The Australian National University, as well as
obtaining significant external funds from other sources. NCEPH is a University-wide
Centre which is separate from both The Faculties (which engage in undergraduate
teaching and research) and the Institute of Advanced Studies (which engages in
postgraduate training and research) but has associations with both of these major
areas of the University;
• Plant Sciences Centre - gene shears biotechnology;
• Sports Science & Sports Medicine Centre - advanced technology training to
develop the potential of leading athletes;
• CRC for Advanced Computational Systems provides solutions for corporate and
SME end-users through commercially focused R&D on interactive user interfaces,
high performance computation, large-scale data management, digital media,
internet applications, and broadband networks; and,
• Canberra Deep Space Communications Centre (CDSCC) is one of three
locations in NASA’s Deep Space Network. The other sites are in Spain and California.
These facilities communicate with spacecraft exploring the solar system. The
Canberra facility has an array of 4 large radio telescopes. The Centre is playing the
leading role in communicating with the 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter.
www.cdscc.nasa.gov.
INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT ATTRACTION
Many international and national communications, IT and multimedia companies have
already established a presence in Canberra. Factors underpinning the ACT’s
attractiveness as an investment location are the research and development capacities of
the Region’s tertiary and research institutions, access to Federal government agencies and
programs, world leading communications infrastructure, availability of highly qualified
staff and proximity to Asian markets;
BusinessACT is developing a proactive investment attraction strategy that will build on
these advantages to target companies in the photonics, defence, biotechnology and
environmental industries.
For more information: www.business.act.gov.au
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