Australia and the Information Economy: Trends and Issues

Opportunities for Australia's Content Providers

Vanessa Harvey

E-mail: vanessa_harvey_at_dtt.au.melbourne@deloitte.com.au

Extended Abstract

Introduction

The information economy is the next wave of economic growth. Resources, agriculture and manufacturing are all mature, slow growth sectors, whilst services (of which information is arguably a part) employs over 60% of the Australian population. The information economy is acknowledged as a key sector by most countries, with the United States dominating as the engine of technological innovation. How can Australia enjoy the future prosperity that the information economy promises?

Trends

There are some noticeable trends in Australia today that point to a future where it is content, rather than technology, that will lead to future wealth in the information economy. These include:

Increasing provision of government services via electronic means (in all sectors);
Content authoring services provided to global customers, not based in Australia; and
Adoption of electronic commerce as a means of overcoming previous limitations of geography, and to a lesser extent time

Issues

There are myriad issues that Australia must address. Apart from generic issues such as concerns about the nature and administration of security measures, Australia must identify and pursue a strategic direction. If we are to adopt a model of technical innovation, then support must be given to emerging tools and products that can be developed and distributed globally. If we are to adopt a model of content and service provision, we must support and market our services to the world.

The latter model has proved successful in the film industry, with major feature films being shot in Australia (location and studio) using Australian crew. Here, Australia’s shared language and culture, and substantial investment by major entertainment companies have yielded significant returns for the local industry. A similar model could be adopted for the development of the information content industry. Drawing together those companies that are providing a range of content services and marketing these capabilities as an integrated industry could be a profitable strategy.

Conclusion

Australia is uniquely placed to develop an information economy around content provision. Fostering this industry should not be at the expense of technological innovation, rather the two should complement each other, but recognise that content provision is likely to have a wider impact on Australia as more people become involved in it.

Speaker

Vanessa Harvey has eight years' experience in information management consulting, and is currently undertaking an MBA focussing on electronic commerce.

The 1998 Information Industry Outlook Conference

8:30am - 5:00pm Saturday 7 November 1998 - Canberra

Hosted by the ACS Canberra Branch, In Cooperation with DIST