Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at a press conference in Sydney, Australia, on April 27, 2021. (RICK RYCROFT / AP)
CANBERRA – Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday announced a funding injection to transform the country into a leading digital economy by 2030.
The Digital Economy Strategy includes 501.9 million Australian dollars (US$387.5 million) to enhance the government's digital MyGov and My Health Record systems and more than 100 million Australian dollars (US$77.2 million) in funding to improve workers' digital skills
Morrison outlined a 1.2 billion Australian dollar (US$926.5 million) plan to accelerate the uptake of digital technologies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Digital Economy Strategy includes 501.9 million Australian dollars (US$387.5 million) to enhance the government's digital MyGov and My Health Record systems and more than 100 million Australian dollars (US$77.2 million) in funding to improve workers' digital skills.
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A further 124 million Australian dollars (US$95.7 million) will be spent improving Australia's artificial intelligence (AI) capability, with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) to establish and lead a national AI center.
"Every business in Australia is now a digital business," Morrison told reporters, adding "this transformation is not merely a national one that needs to happen – it's a global one that is happening."
"We must keep our foot on the digital accelerator to secure our economic recovery from COVID-19."
The package, which is part of the federal budget for 2021/22, takes the government's digital economy investment to 2 billion Australian dollars (US$1.54 billion).
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"Greater digital adoption will improve our competitiveness and lift our productivity – driving job creation and higher wages," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said