100/05
1 September 2005

Reporting on ICT into the future

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan , today released three reports highlighting the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) for small and medium businesses in Australia.

Speaking at the ICT Outlook forum, Senator Coonan said the 2005 Sensis Business Index Special Report, ICT production in Australian SMEs, shows just how ICT-savvy smaller Australian firms are becoming.

“Sensis have estimated that 85 per cent of the ICT goods and services produced by SMEs in Australia are by firms outside the traditional ICT industry,” Senator Coonan said.

“This demonstrates just how pervasive ICT has become across the economy with
17 per cent of all SMEs producing some form of ICT for direct sale, for embedding in other products or to use in day-to-day business operations.”

Senator Coonan also launched Digital factories: the hidden revolution in Australian manufacturing, a report prepared by Howard Partners for the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Digital factories examines how Australian manufacturers, including Orica, Arnotts and Bluescope Steel have used ICT to compete and to differentiate their products in the marketplace.

“The report brings home the importance of Australia’s ICT capability in providing innovative solutions that meet the needs of manufacturing,” Senator Coonan said.

“The study shows that companies that use ICT strategically in their operations, and combine it with other manufacturing technologies, gain a great competitive advantage.”

Senator Coonan also took the opportunity to launch Smart Internet 2010, a report on likely futures for the Internet from the Smart Internet Cooperative Research Centre.

“Smart Internet 2010 distils the opinions of ICT experts from around the world, exploring possible future scenarios, including the use of social network technologies,
e-health, digital games, voice applications and mobile communications,” the Minister said.

“It is a significant resource, and will get people thinking strategically about the opportunities and challenges that the Internet will present as it integrates more into modern life.”

The Howard Report is available at: www.dcita.gov.au/communications_for_business/industry_development/ict_in_australian_manufacturing

The Sensis report is available at: www.dcita.gov.au/communications_and_technology/publications_and_reports/2005/july/ict_production_in_australian_smes