Smart Industry Policy: Information and Communication Technology

 Fast stats:

Total ICT product and services sales have more than doubled since 1999 ($10.1 billion). In addition, from 2004 to 2006:

• Sales have increased 12 per cent to $23.7 billion
• Employment has grown 24 per cent to over 77,000
• Exports have leapt by approximately 50 per cent to $1.3 billion.

The ICT sector

Queensland is currently home to approximately 5,600 ICT businesses, including:

• Multinational companies with a significant presence in Queensland (e.g. SAP, IBM, Microsoft)
• Large Queensland-headquartered ICT companies (e.g. Mincom - Australia's largest software developer, Technology One, GBST and Runge)
• Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) which comprise 96 per cent of the State's ICT industry.

Queensland also has a burgeoning ICT R&D capacity and is home to:

• Eight universities currently conducting ICT R&D, including five regional universities
• Publicly funded research providers, such as:
• the Australian eHealth Research Centre
• National ICT Australia (NICTA)
• Queensland Research Laboratory
• Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF)
• Griffith University's Software Quality Institute
• Institute for Integrated and Intelligent Systems
• QUT Microsoft e-Research Centre
• QUT Information Security Institute.

Overall, the sector comprises:

• Software development
• Hardware/devices design and manufacture
• ICT retailers and resellers
• Telecommunications companies
• Providers of ICT related services.

Queensland strengths

Queensland has a number of competitive advantages that help grow the State's ICT industry:

• Strong skills base supported by the State's nine universities
• Culture of innovation and creativity
• Low business costs
• Significant depth in niche markets such as mining technology, e-health, bioinformatics and intelligent transport systems.

Smart ICT strategy

Smart ICT is a four year industry development strategy which was implemented in
December 2004, to:

• Enhance existing competitive strengths, industry branding and business growth
• Encourage early stage companies and industry partnerships
• Establish opportunities for regional development and strategic R&D
• Invest in skills and key infrastructure enabling expansion.
  

There are 39 specific actions detailed in the Smart ICT strategy to support these objectives. The Queensland Government has committed $18.5 million over four years from 2005 to implement these actions.

The current Smart ICT strategy is due to expire in December 2008. Consultation is underway to develop a further four-year strategy to meet the changing needs of the sector.

Where to from here?

Key focus areas for the continued growth and development of the Queensland ICT industry
into the future include:

• Promoting ICT careers and addressing skills shortages
• Fostering critical mass in niche strength capabilities from R&D through to ICT end user
  industries
• Building business and partnering skills within ICT firms
• Promoting Queensland ICT solutions to other industries to improve their productivity and profitability
• Growing Queensland's ICT exports
• Contributing to the climate change agenda by:
• encouraging ICT firms to reduce their own carbon footprint
• promoting the development and use of technology to assist other industries and the     community to reduce their carbon footprint.

For further information

Download a copy of the Information and Communication Technology Sector Action Plan

Download a copy of the Smart Industry Policy and Decision Making Framework

For more information about the Smart Industry Policy and associated industry sector action plans please contact Strategic Policy. Phone: 07 3227 7657.