Government engagement has been key to the success of the ICT industry in Victoria of late, according to Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) chief executive officer, Ian Birks, but other states are catching up.
Speaking to Computerworld Australia, Birks, said the thriving industry in Victoria could be attributed to financial and innovation input from the State Government.
“The Victorian Government has been notable and visionary in that it recognised over 10 years ago the economic potential for the state to take leadership and focus and invest in ICT and other leading edge technologies," Birks said.
The establishment of Multimedia Victoria (MMV), according to Birks, was evidence of the Government’s engagement with the industry, which has also seen creative strategies around procurement, contracting terms and panels as actions which display an understanding of the role ICT plays in developing its economy.
"Over time it has laid the foundation for the state’s current strong position as a leading destination for ICT investment," he said.
The AIIA recently awarded 14 different Victoria-based companies for their innovations in ICT, with awards presented by Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Trade, Jaala Pulford.
Victoria’s flourishing ICT industry has impinged on several successes of late, including the establishment of NBN Co's Network Operations Centre (NOC) in Melbourne, and numerous expansions to the state by ICT companies.
Despite this, Birks said the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) and the national focus on the digital economy provided opportunities for other states to refocus their resources.
“Over the full term of the [iAwards] program the winners have typically been fairly evenly spread around Australia but in recent times those states that have specifically invested more directly in ICT industry development, such as Victoria, Queensland and South Australia have tended to get a greater proportion of winners,” Birks said.
Victoria’s notable areas of expertise include manufacturing sector's ICT usage, e-health, smart energy, life sciences and green IT.
The state's winners are:
Communications
- NEC Australia – MAC Mobile Access Controller – winner
- Global Speech Networks – Hosted Contact Centre Platform – merit
eGovernment
- PAN software Pty. Ltd – RiskWare – Enterprise Risk Intelligence Software – winner
- Map Tel Pty Ltd. – ArcPad mobile GIS aids disaster management – merit
eHealth
- iCare Solutions Pty Ltd. iCare Solutions Aged Care electronic health record – winner
- Saeid Nahavandi – Multi-Point Haptics for Next-Generation Medical Procedures and Training – merit
eLearning
- SkillSoft – SkillSoft e-Learning Solutions – winner
- Vision Australia – I-Access Online – merit
eLogistics and Supply Chain
- Peerless Foods – Peerless Foods ERP – winner
- LogicalTech – Integration Manager – merit
Financial Industry Application
- REMASYS Pty Ltd – REMASYS Performance Management Solution EAGLE-I – winner
- Renewtek Pty Ltd – ANZ Basic Workflow using KATA Banking Solution Framework – merit
ICT Exporter of the Year
- Nintex – Nintex Workflow – winner
Industrial application
- Thales Australia – Java Human Machine Interface (JHMI) Engine – winner
- Sage Technology – SageSURPASS Safe Work Systems – merit
Media and entertainment
- Firemint for Real Racing – winner
- Mostyle – Mostyle Mobile Social Networking Platform – merit
Research and development
- C3 Business Solutions Pty Ltd. – C3 Integrity – winner
Start-up Award
- Manage Protect Pty Ltd – Manage Protect Pty Ltd. – winner
Tools and Infrastructure
- REMASYS Pty Ltd – REMASYS Performance Management Solution EAGLE-I – winner
- CR-X Pty Ltd – CR-X – merit
Tourism and hospitality
- geekIT Group Pty Ltd. – Retail Online Management System (ROMS) – winner
Sustainability and Green IT
- Box Hill Institute – Vocational – Graduate Certificate in ICT Sustainability – winner
- Thales Australia – FLOWCAT – Managing airspace, capacity and traffic flow in an increasingly congested future – merit
The ICT sector in Victoria provides approximately 87,000 jobs in around 8,400 businesses and more are expected to become available in coming months.
The Communications Alliance and CommsDay (ACOMM) awards also recently recognised innovation ICT, with the program’s highest honour, the Communications Ambassador Award, taken by Telstra’s group managing director, Deena Shiff.
Communications Alliance chief executive officer, John Stanton, congratulated both the winners and finalists of the awards who, he said, represent the best of the best in the Australian communications industry.
The winners of the 2010 ACOMM Awards include:
- Communications Ambassador Award – Deena Shiff
- Innovation for a Large Company Award – iiNet
- Innovation SME Award – Soprano Design and Vocus Communications
- Innovation in Content Delivery and Services - Nextgen Networks
Services to the Industry Awards
- Professional Services Excellence - Maddocks Lawyers
- Partnerships for Growth Award - NEC Australia and OptiComm
- Commitment to Customer Service Award - Telstra Enterprise & Government