Canberra Launch of 2009 Australian ICT Trade Update

Professor John Houghton will present the results of his "2009 Australian ICT Trade Update" in Canberra on 6 October 2009.

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Canberra Launch of 2009 Australian ICT Trade Update

A Joined Event between Australian Computer Society and Australian Services Roundtable

When: Tuesday 6 October 2009
Time: 6pm for 6.30 pm start

Where: Australian Service Roundtable (ASR) 2a Mugga Way, Red Hill, Canberra (closest corner Tennyson Street Red Hill/ACT Chapter Australian Institute of Architects Building)

Presenter: Professor John Houghton

What: The findings of the 2009 Australian ICT Trade Update, revealing a growing annual ICT trade deficit of $28 billion, reflecting Australia's increasing demand for ICT equipment. Despite the global financial crisis, Australia's ICT exports continued to grow, reaching almost $6.6 billion in 2008 around 2.3% of Australia's total export earnings.

The Report shows that in 2008, Australia's ICT exports increased to $6.6 billion while imports cost $34 billion, creating an ICT trade deficit of $28 billion. Strong export growth and surpluses on trade in computer services stand out. It is the only area of ICTs in which Australia has a surplus on trade and is clearly an important area of local strength.

Commissioned by the ACS and authored by Professor John Houghton, the Report identifies computer services as holding Australia's greatest domestic performance promise. It also highlights innovation and a slowing of risk-oriented seed and venture capital investment as areas that Australia's governments and ICT industry stakeholders must support,
to improve the ICT Trade Performance and enhance Australia's competitive advantage.

Australian ICT Trade Update 2009 Report can be downloaded at
www.acs.org.au/09icttradeupdate

About the Presenter:

Professor Houghton is a prolific author and commentator on ICT. He is currently Professorial Fellow at Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Economic Studies (CSES) and Director of the Centre's Information Technologies and the Information Economy Program. He has significant experience in information technology policy, science and technology policy and more general industry policy related economic research. He is a regular consultant to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris and was a co-author of the
recent Centre for Innovative Industry Economic Research report for the Federal Government, "The Australian Software Industry - Globally Competitive - Domestically Undervalued".

To confirm media attendance: Seni Murni, senim@acs.org.au, 02 8296 4433 or 0410 029 706 / PR and Special Projects Executive