Parliamentarians unite to support new jobs and industries to secure Australia’s future prosperity
Wednesday, 18 October, 7am – The Tech Council of Australia (TCA) today welcomed the launch of the cross-party Parliamentary Friendship Group on Tech and Innovation. The group was launched at an event hosted by the TCA and Business Council of Australia on the opportunities and challenges of AI development and adoption in Australia.
TCA CEO Kate Pounder welcomed the group’s launch, emphasising that widespread Parliamentary support would be crucial to create more tech jobs and take advantage of the opportunities of productivity-enhancing technologies like AI.
‘Tech is critical to creating new jobs and growth in Australia. It’s also impacting a range of policy issues that the Parliament must consider. We need to make sure that the Parliament and industry works together on these critical national issues. We’re thrilled to see such strong support for tech and innovation from representatives across the country.”
“We congratulate Jerome Laxale, Aaron Violi and Allegra Spender for their leadership as co-chairs in bringing this group together.”
“There is a huge appetite from all parts of the Parliament to better understand the opportunities of technologies such as AI and how to enable them, while appropriately managing the risks.”
“Positioning Australia at the global forefront of these cutting-edge technologies and getting to 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030 will require a united national approach and close collaboration with industry.”
The group, co-chaired by Jerome Laxale MP, Aaron Violi MP and Allegra Spender MP, will make it easier for parliamentarians and industry to engage on economic and policy issues. The group will help showcase the best Australian companies and innovations to Parliamentarians and provide a forum for industry and Parliamentarians to engage on topical issues.
Ms Pounder observed that the broad support from members around the country emphasised the benefits of technology investment and jobs for all Australians.
“There are already 935,000 Australians working in tech jobs and they can be found in every state and territory, from our capital cities out into our regional and remote communities. Tech is contributing $167bn annually to the national economy, and this is growing every day.”
TCA and BCA member companies that participated in today’s AI briefing included Atlassian, Accenture, Cochlear, Google, Harrison.AI, SEEK and Xero. The briefing covered how AI works, the economic implications of AI for Australia and best practice approaches to regulation and governance.
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For more information:
Sofia Polak, Akin Agency
media@techcouncil.com.au
0434 275 449
About the Tech Council of Australia
The Tech Council of Australia is the peak industry body for Australia’s tech sector. Providing a trusted voice for Australia’s technology industry, with over 160 members, the Tech Council comprises the full spectrum of tech companies.
We aim to advise and engage with Australian governments, businesses, and the wider community to help support the ongoing creation, development, and adoption of technology across industries.
Our vision is for a prosperous Australia that thrives by harnessing the power of technology.