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Indonesia-Australia innovative partnership
Indonesia and Australia are natural partners for collaboration in the digital sector. With a large, young population, a rapidly developing economy and an appetite and aptitude for new technologies, Indonesia will be at the forefront of many future digital developments.
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New technologies and rapid change will bring many new opportunities but also challenges, which governments, citizens and the private sector must all work together to address. (Shutterstock/File)
W
e live in remarkable times. In less than one generation, developments in technology have totally transformed our lives — our homes, the nature of work, our sense of identity and culture and the way we communicate with each other.
But according to the world’s leading digital experts, what we have seen so far pales in comparison with the changes we will see over the next 20 years. In the years ahead, our lives will, to an even greater extent, be determined by developments in the digital sector.
New technologies and rapid change will bring many new opportunities but also challenges, which governments, citizens and the private sector must all work together to address.
Indonesia and Australia are natural partners for collaboration in the digital sector. With a large, young population, a rapidly developing economy and an appetite and aptitude for new technologies, Indonesia will be at the forefront of many future digital developments. Innovation is already transforming the country’s economic landscape, with the likes of Tokopedia, Go-Jek and Traveloka revolutionizing the way people buy groceries, commute, and relate to the world around them. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said he wants Indonesia to be the region’s largest digital economy by 2020, and startups around the country are striving to make that vision a reality.
Australia is similarly ambitious. As the country that created Wi-Fi, Google Maps, the “black box” flight recorder and the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine, we have a proven culture of innovation.
We are more determined than ever to back smart ideas and invest in infrastructure so we can foster a more entrepreneurial economy. That means supporting start-ups that disrupt the status quo, following in the slipstream of success stories such as SEEK, a global leader in online job boards that was founded in Melbourne and now employs more than 6,000 people in 16 countries; and Sydney-born software company Atlassian, which serves more than 100,000 customers and is valued at over US$12 billion.
It also means applying that innovative spirit to the delivery of government services. People expect the same simple, clear and fast service from government as they get from the private sector. Through our Digital Transformation Agency, we are working to digitize more services, with a focus on improving the user experience for individuals and business. We are also ensuring we make the right information and communications technologies (ICT) investment decisions by taking a whole-of-government view to investment and funding projects that will deliver better services at a lower cost.
