LABOR’S 100 DAYS OF INACTION ON THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

MEDIA RELEASE

Monday 29 August 2022

LABOR’S 100 DAYS OF INACTION ON THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

Labor’s first 100 days have seen a union-led industrial agenda imposed upon our tech sector and a bad situation made worse by a failure to address the tech industry’s immediate skilled worker shortage, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy and Science, Paul Fletcher said today.

“Minister Husic’s focus in the first 100 days has been imposing union-driven policies upon our tech businesses and start-ups. That is bad news for job creation and growth,” Mr Fletcher said.

“The warning signs of Labor failure were there early when Labor chose not to include a specific Cabinet-level portfolio with the title of Digital Economy. 

“Labor’s plan for the tech sector is evidently to arm an industrial agenda on behalf of unions designed to generate more union fees, more union members and the ability to exert old-style industrial control over a dynamic and fast-paced industry.

“The tech sector is crying out for increased immigration of global talent with the specialised skills needed to catalyse the growth of this sector – and in turn the broader economy.

“Instead Labor’s evident focus has been on seeking the approval of the union movement before it will provide the reforms the sector is asking for.

“Minister Husic needs to realise he is no longer a union official and get on with the job of empowering our tech sector with the workers it needs to do their jobs and create more opportunity in Australia.

“The Coalition will continue to build on its strong record of achievement on the digital economy by working constructively with the sector to meet both its pressing and longer term needs, because we understand how crucial our digital economy is to the future economic success of our nation,” Mr Fletcher said.

ENDS