ACS has called on the major political parties to boost funding for tech education, regional digital literacy and diversity in its 2022 Election Platform.
The organisation, representing the nation’s IT professionals, has launched the platform aiming to prevent Australia from falling behind the rest of the world. The proposals look to build the digital skills of Australian workers and teachers, along with a plan to improve the development of technology legislation.
ACS’ 2022 Platform proposes nine measures to boost the nation’s tech sector over the term of the next government.
- A $500m program to boosting the technology profession’s diversity and inclusion
- $100m on encouraging Digital Technologies education in schools
- A $10,000 employer tax credit to improving the workforce’s digital skills
- Stronger cybersecurity rules for government agencies and contractors
- A $100m crack down on spam and scams
- $500m for growing Australia’s regional digital economy
- Establishment of a Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
- Creating a Cabinet-level Digital Economy portfolio
- Establishing a commission to evaluate the needs of tomorrow’s workforce
ACS President, Dr Nick Tate, said: “this year’s election comes at an important time for the Australian technology sector.
“The last two years have shown the importance of the sector to the Australian economy. Everything from working from home, check-in applications, and alleviating supply chain issues hinges on a skilled IT workforce. Expanding this workforce is now essential to maintain the nation’s standard of living and grow our economy.”
The 2022 Election Platform was born out of a series of public and member consultations last year to identify key technology policy priorities that would advance the national interest.
Discussions also focused on Australia’s need to boost its cyber security defences given the critical role technology plays across all sectors, as well as dealing with the issue of online fraud and scams that are costing Australians millions of dollars each year.
“The ACS Election Platform lays out a roadmap for the next government – regardless of who wins – to build on the Australian economy’s strength over the last two years and help the nation keep its place in the digital economy.
“As our annual Digital Pulse report shows, we have a chronic shortage of technology workers and many of the measures we propose look to addressing that weakness through reskilling workers, improving IT education and increasing the size of the technology workforce.
“It’s also essential regional Australia is not left out of the future economy and we have proposed programs to grow the technology sector outside the major cities.
“We also need to keep digital infrastructure and our personal technology secure, so we have proposed a number of ideas to ensure the integrity of our government and private infrastructure.
“I urge all parties to consider the proposals we’re making. We look forward to the discussion of Australia’s role in the global digital economy and the jobs of the future during the 2022 election,” Dr Tate concluded.
Image: From left: Tim Watts MP, Ed Husic MP, Senator Andrew Bragg and ACS President Dr Nick Tate.
