Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the previous Government made significant progress on supporting the growth and opportunities of the digital economy, including appointing the first Minister for the Digital Economy; and

(b) the Government does not have a Minister for the Digital Economy; and

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) Australian digital activity value add increased by 7.4 per cent ($7.5 billion) in 2019-20, compared with a two per cent increase for the total Australian economy;

(b) the digital economy strategy of the last Government provided a roadmap to becoming a top 10 digital economy and society by 2030; and

(c) digital assets could represent over 20 per cent of retail payments by 2050.

While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted so many parts of our economy, the digital economy vaulted forward. The rapid rise in technology has dramatically transformed the way we live, work and do business.

The former Australian Liberal federal government made significant contributions to the growth and development of the digital economy. These initiatives have paved the way for a bright future and have positioned Australia as a leader in the digital world.

This may be a first for federal parliament, but that last paragraph came directly from artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. That's the reality of the world we now live in. We have access to next-level technology such as AI chatbots that allow us to ask questions and get instant answers that are scarily human-like. The digital economy has taken the world we knew and transformed it entirely, and a lot of this was done under the previous coalition government. After all, it was the previous coalition government who introduced the very first minister for the digital economy. Despite the string of cyberattacks in late 2022 and the untold opportunities that the digital economy presents, the Albanese Labor government still doesn't have a minister dedicated to improving the digital economy. This is despite Australia's peak body for innovation technology, the Australian Information Industry Association, calling for a digital economy minister to be appointed within the Labor cabinet.

It was our party that recognised the challenges and opportunities that new technologies present our nation across every sector and every facet of our lives. We knew that change was happening not just on our shores but globally, and we knew that, for Australia to remain ahead, we had to prioritise the growth of the digital economy. That's why we invested $4.5 billion into the NBN network and over $1.6 billion to support the 2020 Cyber Security Strategy, which strongly focused on increased national cybersecurity awareness.

We kept our foot on the digital accelerator to secure our economic recovery from COVID-19. Businesses kept their doors open through finding ways for staff to work remotely. Some moved online and others took advantage of new technology to boost their own productivity. We knew that our increasing connectedness to the online world would outlast the pandemic and remain vital to how we work and interact well into the future. This has proven true, with Australians and businesses still reaping the productivity rewards that come with new technology. The groundwork was set by the previous coalition government's comprehensive strategy to make Australia a top 10 data and digital economy by 2030. To pave the way forward, we invested $3.5 billion in digital initiatives from 2020, from building a digital and cyber workforce to enhancing Australia's capabilities in AI and quantum technologies. The coalition government made record investments in telecommunications in regional Australia, including in Casey. But, despite this record investment, more work needs to be done to continue to improve communications in regional Australia.

The digital economy isn't just about private enterprise; it also plays an important role in government services. The previous government recognised myGov as critical national infrastructure. We invested over $200 million into myGov for the two-year enhanced myGov program. This was applauded in the recent myGov user audit. Testing suggests that myGov can now support half a million concurrent users, 50 times more than it did previously. It also found that hundreds of thousands of Australians are currently excluded from setting up digital identities, and its slow progress on legislation has restricted wider uptake.

The myGov audit found there is a risk of myGov becoming an empty shell without ongoing funding certainties. Our dedicated minister for the digital economy worked on the ground to ensure our digital world continued to progress to keep our country globally competitive. It makes you wonder: how does the Albanese Labor government plan to continue growing our digital economy? How will our digital economy continue to flourish when the government can't even dedicate a minister to work in this space? They dedicate a minister for the republic when it's not even on the agenda for discussion, but they won't have a minister for the digital economy. It's time the Albanese government dedicated a minister with the right skill set to take the lead on our digital economy. It's our future that's at stake.

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