ISOC-AU Federal Election 2001

Collaboration

Australian Democrats

yet to receive

Australian Labor Party

yet to receive

Liberal and National Parties

The Coalition supports the ISOC-AU position that collaboration will be a key element in boosting Australia's ICT innovation performance.

The Coalition's $2.9 billion Innovation Action Plan, Backing Australia's Ability, is the single biggest investment by an Australian Government in innovation. Increasing collaboration within research institutions, and between the public sector and private sector, is a key objective of the Innovation Action Plan.

The highly successful Information Technology Online (ITOL) will continue to foster online collaboration. The ITOL program is being extended under Backing Australia's Ability, with $13 million to be provided over 5 years. ITOL accelerates the national adoption of business to business (B2B) electronic commerce solutions across key industry sectors, especially by small and medium enterprises. Importantly, ITOL uses Government funding to leverage industry e-commerce initiatives. The extension of ITOL is part of the $100 million Innovation Access Program which will increase Australia's access to world-leading research and technology and showcase Australia's innovations internationally.

The Coalition will contribute $129.5 million for an ICT Centre of Excellence, with additional support from industry. The Centre will provide the critical mass needed to strengthen Australia's ability to generate breakthrough technological advances to spur our local ICT industries, creating jobs and wealth. The Centre will promote collaboration within industry as applicants are encouraged to partner with other firms and universities as part of the application process.

The Coalition recognises the need to develop the Internet as a key supporting element for national innovation. Accordingly, the Coalition is investing in various 'testbeds' that can be used to pilot very high-speed broadband and digital content applications. Examples of such Coalition Government assistance include;

• $37 million Advanced Network Program which has funded a high-speed next generation backbone network, based on the CANARIE model, linking innovation communities from Brisbane to Perth;
• $30 million Launceston Broadband Project which subsidises ADSL access for local residents and businesses, provides a high-end network in which to trial innovative broadband applications and content, and funds innovative SME content developers to drive uptake; and
• $52.2 million for a National Communications Fund, a grants program that aims to improve delivery of education and health services in regional and remote Australia through telecommunications initiatives, by developing high bandwidth data services by supporting the rollout of network infrastructure and applications for education and health services.

Other elements of Backing Australia's Ability will provide incentives for academic innovation through:

• Increased Australian Research Council grants - Providing $736 million over 5 years for Australian Research Council (ARC) grants, to strengthen Australia's research capability. This support, which doubles ARC grant funds, will focus on areas where Australia has, or wishes to build, competitive commercial advantage, such as ICT and biotechnology.
• Increased funding for public sector research infrastructure - Boosting the public sector research infrastructure by an additional $337 million over 5 years for project specific infrastructure and by $246 million over 5 years to upgrade universities' basic infrastructure such as libraries and laboratory equipment.
• Major research facilities - Providing $155 million to support the establishment of collaborative Major National Research Facilities which will provide researchers with world class, modern research tools.

Further, Backing Australia's Ability provides incentives for private sector investment in research and development through the following initiatives:

• Premium 175 per cent R&D Tax Concession: Providing a premium tax concession rate of 175 per cent which will apply to those companies that increase their R&D effort. The higher rate will apply to the labour-related components of the additional R&D.
• Cash out of the R&D Tax Concession - Introducing a cash rebate equivalent to the 125 per cent R&D tax concession. This will spur the growth of young companies with insufficient cash flow to take advantage the R&D tax concession. The cash rebate is particularly relevant to the ICT sector due to the high number of ICT start-ups.
• R&D START program to be extended - Providing an additional $535 million over 5 years to extend the successful R&D START program. This grants program has provided the catalyst for many ICT SMEs to undertake the R&D needed to ensure their longer term viability and growth. R&D START will also be streamlined, enhancing access to the program.

The Coalition's initiatives in Backing Australia's Ability will facilitate business innovation by improving the flow of finance into business innovation and strengthening the capacity of business to commercialise research and new technologies:

• Commercialising Emerging Technology (COMET) Funding for the COMET program will be more than doubled by providing $40 million over 4 years to assist young technology companies gain management, marketing and intellectual property management skills.
• Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) : Boosting funding for the Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) program by 80 per cent $227 million over 5 years, thereby providing significant opportunities for more ICT CRCs such as the highly successful Photonics CRC. The program will also be made more flexible, providing greater opportunities for small to medium enterprises to participate in CRCs. The funding boost will enhance the level of collaboration between leading research institutions and industry and increase the opportunities for commercial spin-offs.
• Pre-Seed Fund -Establishing a Pre-seed Fund for universities and public sector research agencies such as CSIRO and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation to unlock more ideas for commercialisation. Funding will be allocated on a competitive basis ($78.7m over 5 years).

The Greens

The Greens recognise the importance of collaboration and innovation to Australia's and the world's future sustainable economic development. The Greens support efforts (such as the Open Source movement) which increase collaboration and oppose the further monopolisation of intellectual property of all forms.

The Greens strongly support the role of higher education (especially TAFE) in the provision of targetted education to address the needs of all Australian industries. The starvation of the TAFE (and university) system by the current and previous governments will result in the loss of Australia's skill base if not reversed. Increased funding for Education, particularly TAFE is central to Greens policy.