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Government

Govt chooses its IT SMB champion

Innovation Minister Kim Carr said today that the Federal Government had appointed Don Easter as an information technology supplier advocate to make sure that small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become competitive and don't get overlooked in the government procurement process.
Written by Suzanne Tindal, Contributor

Innovation Minister Kim Carr said today that the Federal Government had appointed Don Easter as an information technology supplier advocate to make sure that small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become competitive and don't get overlooked in the government procurement process.

"With the Commonwealth Government being the single largest customer for IT in Australia, it is vital that we have access to the innovation capacity of nimble local SMEs — and equally that SMEs have access to government opportunities in order to build their capabilities and export credentials," Carr said in a statement.

"Easter will open doors for Australian businesses and help them become more visible to government customers and multinational IT firms in need of suppliers."

Easter previously held senior executive roles with EDS Australia (now HP Enterprise Services) and Westpac, according to Carr.

This has been the latest appointment within the Australian Government's $8.2 million Supplier Advocates Program, which funds the hire of executives to provide industry leadership in targeted sectors.

"The Rudd Government wants a fairer go for Australian industry. We want to see more people buying Australian, both at home and abroad," Carr said.

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