If elected, the Federal Labor Party has pledged to employ 1.2 million Australians in the tech industry by 2030.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has lent his support to the Technology Council of Australia’s roadmap to create 340,000 new jobs by the end of the decade.
Currently, the sector is responsible for over 850,000 jobs in Australia and is considered the third largest sector in the economy behind mining and banking.
Addressing the media from Western Sydney alongside Shadow Minister for Innovation Ed Husic and Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowens, the Leader of the Opposition of Australia stated that “tech sector jobs make everyone else’s jobs better.”
“They make other businesses better throughout our economy,” Mr. Albanese said. “As we look to the future, we have real opportunities for Australians to be employed in this sector and to drive economic growth. I want a future made in Australia. I want to make more things here; I want to have more jobs here.”
Labor aims to accomplish this through previously announced policies which include 20,000 new university places and 465,000 free TAFE places for priority areas like tech. Another proposal to meet this target is a $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to promote Australia’s manufacturing industry as the economy recovers from the pandemic.
Through Labor’s proposed Startup Year program, 2,000 Commonwealth-supported places at accredited universities will support Australian entrepreneurs and start-ups to bring their ideas to fruition. The Federal Labor Party has also committed to supporting the creation of new tech firms in the country.