John Brumby, Minister for State and Regional Development, said the plan sets -deliberately ambitious targets" for the industry, including annual exports of AU$1.5 billion by 2010, but the government had consulted with over 100 industry stakeholders.
-It really sets a bold agenda for the next decade," he said. An important part of the strategy is to nurture -clusters of excellence" in areas where Victoria already has, or is close to having, a world-class presence.
The initial clusters cover telecommunications, interactive applications, creative content and specialist ICT manufacturing, and the plan include a mechanism to identify emerging clusters and support them with competitive grants. -Victoria must be a high volume producer of ICT," said Brumby.
The state aims to support its -ICT ecosystem" by developing the right people with the right skills, fostering innovation and the commercialisation of publicly-funded R&D, attracting and developing viable businesses, and encouraging the development of broadband infrastructure. -We need all four of these pillars to be developed equally," said Brumby.
Furthermore, the government recognises that -ICT is a bulldozer for growth" in other Victorian industries such as manufacturing and food processing, and the government will continue to develop collaboration between them.
According to Brumby, the plan incorporates existing initiatives totalling around $300 million, and the new elements have been budgeted at $2.5 million over the next two to three years. The government is -not just pouring in buckets of money," he said.
The plan is -a great partnership between the industry and government," said Terry Cutler, chair of the government's ICT Advisory Group. -It's not often I want to congratulate a minister unreservedly," he added, and suggested there was an opportunity for the Federal government to get behind the plan.
Asked about the competition between states to attract ICT companies and projects, Brumby said attempts to encourage businesses to move from one state to another ââ,¬" -the chest beating stuff" ââ,¬" was not constructive. Victoria will support the identified clusters where it is already strong, he said.
Growing Tomorrow's Industries Today is available online at http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/industryplan#plan .
