Calls for Tasmanian premier to take on ICT role

Tasmania’s peak ICT industry body, TasICT, has called for the State’s Premier to help build the ICT industry and leverage the NBN by taking on a new ministerial role.

The industry body praised the Tasmanian government for highlighting the issue in an NBN tender response and bringing it to the attention of Federal communications minister Stephen Conroy, but now wants Premier David Bartlett to step up and take a cabinet role in ICT.

TasICT president Peter Gartlan says the Tasmanian government has had a very fragmented approach to the development of the ICT industry and the government needs to co-ordinate its approach to the industry and take advantage of such digital economy issues as the recently opened Basslink service and the NBN.

“These issues highlights that we are now at time that we really do need someone to take charge of that function,” Gartlan said. “David Bartlett is someone who understands ICT and has good vision, so we think he should be the minister.”

“We’ve got a first cab off the rank situation in Tasmania, being the first state to roll-out the NBN, but the window opportunity on it is only 2-3 years so we need to make sure that we capitalise on that and make sure the government has a well coordinated approach.”