Australia has been ranked in the top 10 countries in the world for "digital readiness", in a new study of 118 countries by tech giant Cisco, but some states are falling behind.
The study examined a range of factors from technology infrastructure and adoption to human capital, with Australia scoring most highly in categories such as the ease of doing business, the start-up environment and basic human needs.
The study forms part of a multi-year national engagement strategy for Cisco, as it endeavours to position itself as a digital thought leader in the country and earn a "seat at the table" with policymakers.
"It was our attempt to lean into the conversation and help Australia's investment in innovation and productivity," Cisco vice-president of Australia and New Zealand Ken Boal said.
This is long-term stuff, it's not about the next quarter or next year, some things we're talking about are generational. But there's also levers to pull that can drive change over the next few years."
In the global study, done in conjunction with Gartner, countries were given a rank between 0 and 25, with 25 being the most digitally ready. Australia scored 17.34, while the United States came in at number one with 20.1. Other countries that ranked higher than Australia included Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
On a state-by-state basis, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and New South Wales were identified as the digital leaders of the country, while Tasmania and the Northern Territory lagged behind.
ACT came in first in every category but "basic needs", in part due to its compact size which means infrastructure like the NBN is more easily deployed than in other states. But the territory was also praised for its Smart City Canberra initiative, which includes one of Australia's largest free outdoor public Wi-Fi networks, as well as trials of an integrated smart parking network. Social issues
On the other hand, the last ranked Northern Territory's position was said to be an "unfortunate reflection of the social issues that have afflicted Australia's least populated territory", with the territory found to still be deficient in real business and government expenditure on research and development.
"Despite a strong overall score, the benefits of digitisation need to be better shared amongst all Australians – we need to build a more digitally inclusive society," Mr Boal said.
"Competitor nations in North America and Western Europe are investing heavily in digital networks and skills, so if we don't invest equally, Australia will run the risk of losing its position near the top of international league tables."
Overall Australia had the most room to improve in the categories of technology adoption, technology infrastructure, business and government investment.
Across the board most countries ranked poorly when it came to business and government investment, but Cisco director of corporate and government affairs Tim Fawcett said there needed to be a mindset shift from policymakers in Australia.
"We are seeing this in the private sector where things like cyber security was oftentimes the responsibility of the chief information security officer when it should be everyone's business," Mr Fawcett said.
"It needs to be the same for state, federal and local government. You can't just be an expert in your portfolio and absent yourself from discussions that are related to digital. Digital needs to be spread across every portfolio."
Commenting on the recent leadership spill and portfolio changes, Mr Fawcett said it would have been better for the nation to not have a continually rotating door of ministers responsible for innovation and technology.
"Like all businesses you'd prefer stability and you'd prefer that those things didn't happen. It seems like the government are getting on with the job now," he said.
The lowest-scoring countries were unsurprisingly impoverished African nations and troubled Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Yolanda Redrup
Quelle/Source: The Australian Financial Review, 12.09.2018
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