The Victorian Opposition has slammed the Bracks Government in response to its multimedia and IT&C budget announcements, saying it needs to lose its anti-IT attitude.
"2001 represented the second year running that expenditure on multimedia related agencies and high speed Internet infrastructure was rolled back," Shadow Minister for IT&C and Multimedia, Victor Perton said.
The State and Regional Development Minister, John Brumby, unveiled the Budget on Tuesday, announcing a AU$268.6 million commitment to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) initiatives.
"Not only are we spending more money than ever before on ICT, the money we are spending is better targeted," Brumby said.
The opposition Liberal Party, however, says the government's initiatives have been poorly focused.
"You can only get innovation if you empower people out there, and the only way to do that is to give them faster Internet access."
"It's a clever budget in terms of producing propaganda," he said.
According to Perton, the government has reduced funding on broadband infrastructure from AU$12.1 million in 2000 to 2001 to AU$8.9 million in 2001 to 2002.
Furthermore, he says the actual expenditure on building broadband infrastructure in Victoria for 2000-2001 was actually less - at AU$6.6 million.
"It didn't even spend the allocated expenditure," he said.
He has attacked a promise to deliver broadband across the state, claiming expenditure on high speed Internet has dropped by 40 percent.
"Without doubt, the information highway has come to a screeching halt in Victoria, half built," he said.
The government says in the past year, it has released the state's first ICT skills policy, the first e-commerce strategy and the first policy to tackle the digital divide.
