MEDIA RELEASE
ACS says Labor's National Sharing Economy Principles a welcome move but calls for a bipartisan approach
MEDIA RELEASE - ACS says Labor’s National Sharing Economy Principles a welcome move but calls for a bipartisan approach
Australia, October 22, 2015: The ACS – the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector – has today welcomed a set of National Sharing Economy Principles, which lay out Labor’s priorities and approach to digital disruption activities in Australia.
In making the announcement today, Labor has clearly identified that the key challenge for policy makers in a digitally disrupted world is to get the balance right between allowing the freedom to innovate whilst also providing appropriate protection for individuals and public resources. This is particularly difficult in a world where business models are dramatically changing and previously held assumptions about cause and effect no longer necessarily hold true.
The ACS supports the principles outlined by Labor as a good basis for sensible policy and regulatory discussions.
President of the ACS, Brenda Aynsley said: “Digital disruption is occurring across all industries. It’s a critical driver reshaping the economic landscape in Australia and globally. In order to fully capture the opportunities created by digital disruption it is crucial that Governments – Federal and State – work with the key stakeholder groups to shape policies and regulations that drive innovation, create jobs and support Australia’s vital and growing tech ecosystem.
“We congratulate the ALP for crafting this sensible and pragmatic approach to governing in a digital world. Further, ACS strongly encourages a national and bipartisan approach to help ensure Australia reaps the full economic benefits of disruptive technologies,” Ms Aynsley added.
“These issues are too important to our economy to not get right. What we don’t want to see is inconsistent State and Federal Government based policy approaches to sharing economy platforms. This would be not be in the nation’s best interests.”
The combination of new technologies on the back of rapidly growing computing power is driving major economic changes. A 2013 PwC report on the startup economy found that the technology start up sector has the potential to contribute four per cent of GDP (or $109 billion) and add 540,000 jobs to the Australian economy by 2033.
“The extraordinary growth of companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and Salesforce, which barely existed 10-15 years ago is testament to the economic and employment opportunities sharing economy platforms can generate” Ms Aynsley said.
“Further to this, a study by the Kaufmann Foundation found that in the US three million jobs are added to the US economy each year by new firms, whilst existing firms are net job destroyers, shedding one million jobs per year.
Disruptive sharing economy businesses are connecting demand to capacity in real time. Their importance to the economy is going to continue to grow and they are providing new income and employment opportunities for many thousands of people.
ENDS
Media contact:
Thomas Shanahan
Manager - Media & Communications, ACS
0449 902 130
About the ACS
The ACS (Australian Computer Society) is the professional association for Australia's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Over 20,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. The ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed. The ACS strives for ICT professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, and to promote the formulation of effective policies on ICT and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.