Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to respond to the member for Casey's motion. Let me begin by stating that the Albanese Labor government unequivocally values and understands the critical importance of nurturing, growing and supporting the digital economy. Our government is strategically investing in this sector because digital technology drives everything we do. These skills and innovations are inextricably woven into our lives, and we remain forward-thinking and innovative to scale and grow Australian-made discoveries whilst planning soundly to ensure we squeeze every opportunity out of the burgeoning digital economy to grow emerging technologies and stimulate jobs.

As a nation, we still have so much to do. To reach our full potential, we need to invest, and the Albanese Labor government is certainly investing. We have a goal of reaching 1.2 million tech-related jobs in Australia by 2030. The Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, has stated that in order to boost our manufacturing output we must do three things: invest in our human capital, strategically invest in Australian ideas and invest in our future technological potential. We have delivered on our pre-election policy commitments and we have funded the following important policy areas.

Our $1 billion investment in critical technologies, as part of the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, is one of the biggest government investments in manufacturing. This investment has been welcomed and applauded by prominent technical industry stakeholders, who have described it as a very significant investment, compared with the funding available under the coalition. The Albanese Labor government has said the NRF will additionally provide funding for enabling technologies, many of which are digital technologies, in areas including artificial intelligence, data science and software development.

The government will invest $15 billion over seven years to establish the NRF to support, diversify and transform Australian industry and the economy. This will happen through targeted co-investments in seven priority areas: resources; agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors; transport; medical science; renewables and low-emissions technologies; defence capability; and enabling capabilities.

There is $2.4 billion committed over four years to boosting fibre access under the NBN, to deliver fibre-ready access to a further 1.5 million premises by late 2025, which was part of our first budget in October 2022. This is about modernising our infrastructure and capturing the digital economic opportunities.

The Albanese Labor government is investing $15.4 million over four years to establish a start-up year for university students. The start-up year allows students to stay on for a further year at university to take part in businesses in focused start-up incubators and accelerators, giving them the opportunity to translate fresh ideas into vibrant new businesses. In addition, we are investing in education by injecting significant funding for TAFE and universities to help address skill shortages, including fee-free TAFE.

Another excellent measure is the endorsement of the Digital and Tech Skills Compact, which was agreed to at the Jobs and Skills Summit. The compact will develop a model pilot scheme for workers to enter the tech industry, so that they can earn while they learn in entry-level tech roles. The compact affirms a commitment from industry, government and unions to cooperate to help address skill shortages and grow the Australian tech sector, noting that a digital economy will drive productivity, grow our economy and create better paid work opportunities for Australians. The CEO of the Tech Council, Kate Pounder, has stated:

This historic compact will create and keep more tech jobs for Australians and top global talent. Providing more reskilling and training opportunities is crucial to reaching our shared goal of 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030.

This clearly reflects that the Albanese Labor government is surging ahead with strategic actions in the digital economy.

Debate adjourned.

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