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

I want to commend the member for Bradfield for this very important motion and also the member for Hasluck for her contribution, in which she actually confirmed why we need a minister for the digital economy. She mentioned Treasury, the Assistant Treasurer, Home Affairs and cybersecurity, the Prime Minister himself, science and innovation with Minister Husic and also communications. That's the point: it goes across so many industries and so many ministries that you need one person developing the strategy that brings this all together. The digital economy is its own industry in its own right, but it also delivers productivity gains to so many industries. It is across all of government, which is why it's so important that there is someone—one person—leading that strategy.

Michael Porter is well known in strategic management theory. I'm sure the member for Fraser would know him well. He would know Porter's five forces. Anyone who's been in business or done anything to do with economics and strategy would know Porter's five forces. Michael Porter said: 'If a strategy meets a goal: it's working. If a strategy meets a target: it's a success.' The reality is that, when it comes to the digital economy, this government has no strategy, no goals and no targets. There is no way that it can deliver success in a digital economy. We need it all brought together. We need someone leading it. The former coalition government had the 2030 strategy, which was a roadmap that had objectives, goals, targets and funding behind it.

The reality is that industry is frustrated. I am very fortunate to have spent three years prior to becoming the member for Casey working in the digital economy. I've still got many friends in the industry. I speak to many stakeholders and many business owners, and they are frustrated. They are feeling let down by this government because they know there's not a strategy. As the member for Hasluck said, we are at such an exciting time with artificial intelligence, quantum and medtech. We know that the health budget is under significant fiscal pressure at the moment, and medtech is an amazing opportunity to not only help people with health but also take costs out of the health system. There are so many opportunities to create jobs and to provide more efficiencies, and this government doesn't have a plan or a strategy.

One of the big benefits of the digital economy outside its own industry is productivity. We know that our productivity isn't where it needs to be. It's going to be one of the key pillars that's going to bring inflation down and take some pressure off cost-of-living challenges, which all Australians are going through. In its five-year report earlier this year, the Productivity Commission had a whole section dedicated to digital technology and the important role that that would play in driving productivity growth for generations to come. It's transformational, but, again, we don't have a minster to bring that strategy together to drive that productivity.

Let's be clear that, when we're talking about the digital economy and that industry, we're talking about an industry that's estimated to be worth $315 billion over the next decade. It is an industry that is estimated to create 250,000 new jobs by 2025. That's $315 billion of economic growth and a quarter of a million jobs to be created, and this government doesn't see fit to have a minister for the digital economy.

As I said, it's also about productivity and efficiency. If you think about it, we're going to see many people going to watch the Matildas and the soccer tonight. They'll be able to sit at their table and not have to go to the bar. They can scan a QR code and order what they want. That makes it easier for that hospitality venue to get them their drinks and their food quicker, make sure that they're saving money and make sure that it's an efficient time for that business and a great experience for all those people cheering on the Matildas. I'll be one of those people tonight, and I'm looking forward to that.

That is what this is about: driving productivity and greater opportunities for business, as well as improving experiences for consumers. We saw the recent AI report that the member for Hasluck referenced and, disappointingly, it exclusively looks at the risks of AI. There is nothing about the economic opportunities, which is why we need a minister for the digital economy taking advantage of these economic opportunities for our country.

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