Some details of Labor’s policy need to be further fleshed out, but a draft plan seen by The Australian Financial Review said tech is currently responsible for 861,000 jobs in Australia, and increasing this to 1.2 million by 2030 would boost the sector’s contribution to the Australian economy from $167 billion annually to $250 billion.
It proposes 465,000 fee-free TAFE places and 20,000 additional university places to be focused on areas of skills shortage. Ameliorating the mismatch of skills to jobs will be co-ordinated through the previously announced creation of a new federal agency called Jobs and Skills Australia.
“Setting this goal matters because it sends a clear signal to Australians that employers will sign up to create these jobs.”
— Tesla and Tech Council of Australia Chair, Robyn Denholm.
Labor will pledge to support the growth of the local tech scene through a “start-up year” initiative that will offer 2000 aspiring founders Commonwealth-supported places at accredited university accelerators.
Meanwhile, Mr Albanese will re-affirm plans to use government procurement and a $15 billion national reconstruction fund to support locally founded companies.
“Too many experienced workers and businesses have left our shores due to the failure of the Morrison government to back tech jobs in existing and emerging businesses,” Mr Albanese said.
“Technology is a core pillar for our economy and is considered equivalent to the third-largest sector in the economy behind mining and banking. Australians with either TAFE or university qualification can build great tech-related careers, and Australia’s tech sector is massively important to our economy.”
In contrast, Mr Albanese cited comments made by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a summit in late 2020, where he suggested Australia would be better served by buying tech services and expertise from elsewhere in the world.
“[Industry adapting technology] doesn’t need to mean that Australia has to be one big Silicon Valley,” Mr Morrison said in his speech.
“No, we’ve just got to be the best at adopting, taking it on board, making it work for us, and we’re really good at that.”
Tech Council of Australia and Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm will join Mr Albanese for his policy announcement on Thursday, and said she applauded Labor’s commitment ahead of the election.
Ms Denholm said tech jobs represented a “great deal” for Australians, as they are well-paid, secure and flexible, as well as being in great supply.
She said tech jobs encompassed a diverse array of roles including sales specialists, marketers, HR and legal specialists as well as software engineers, product managers and data scientists.
“Setting this goal matters because it sends a clear signal to Australians that employers will sign up to create these jobs, and there is a shared commitment to help Australians work in them, including through reskilling and training opportunities,” Ms Denholm said.
“We want to be an industry that creates great jobs for Australians, and that partners with governments to make sure Australians can get into them.”
