Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

Global Victoria will build on Victoria 21 policy

The State Government is to spend more than $19 million over the next three years under its new Global Victoria policy, which has been developed as a result of the recent review of the Government's Victoria 21 policy.

Global Victoria is composed of four key strategies:

• Creating compelling reasons for individuals to participate by providing the motivation, skills and access required to get online.
• Creating compelling reasons for business to participate and encourage online innovation and experimentation.
• Delivering benefits to all Victorians by providing government services online 24 hours a day seven days a week.
• Securing the right environment by creating a strong regulatory and market framework for the online economy.

"The knowledge economy rewards businesses, governments and individuals that are prepared to anticipate change rather than simply react to it. If you aren’t in that first wave it is very difficult to make up lost ground," the Minister for Multimedia and Information Technology, Mr Alan Stockdale, said.

"Achieving critical mass will create significant advantages for Victoria. It will attract technology suppliers, encourage online innovation and entrepreneurs, drive demand for better telecommunications infrastructure and in turn help to ensure that Victorians enjoy the benefits of the information economy," Mr Stockdale said.

New initiatives to be introduced as part of Global Victoria will include:

• Buy Victoria Website, providing information about where to purchase Victorian products and services electronically.
• Community Managers Program, providing support and training on the use of online technology to leaders of community organisations such as clubs, church and civic groups.
• Youth Employment Scheme, for pre-employment training and traineeships in the technology sector.
• Small-Medium Business Online, to increase uptake of electronic commerce and encourage development of innovative products and services.
• VicNet Phase Two, to provide additional telecommunications bandwidth and Web tools to handle the expected rise in demand for online services.
• Rapid Experimentation in Business, to identify what succeeds in the online economy and spread this knowledge to business by providing quality reports about developments in key industry sectors around the world.
• Screen Culture and Cultural Assets Program, which will showcase the digital image at Cinemedia’s new home at Federation Square and give the public greater access to cultural institutions using online technology.
• Public Access, to identify and map patterns of use and impediments to public access.
• Technology and Industry Statistics Research, providing reliable statistics to create a better-informed market and assist with government decision-making.
• Skills research and monitoring, to identify skills shortages.

Mr Stockdale said these new initiatives were underpinned by $29.3 million in funding for existing programs.

(News Release, Office of the Minister for Information Technology and Multimedia, July 13, 1999)

The Global Victoria policy can also be downloaded in full from the MMV web site.