Tech Council of Australia welcomes new members

The Tech Council of Australia (TCA) has welcomed a group of new members, with CEO Kate Pounder applauding their commitment to ensuring a GDP contribution of $250 billion by 2030.

“In joining the TCA, each of these members are demonstrating a commitment to the Australian technology sector,” Pounder said.

“In addition to our ambitions around GDP, we will work with our members to ensure by 2030 we have 1.2 million people in tech jobs, which we believe is absolutely crucial for our country’s future.

“Our new members will also support our aspiration in making Australia the best place in the world to start and scale a tech company.”

New TCA members include:

• CyberCX
• Nokia
• Kyndryl
• Datacom
• Equinix
• Salesforce
• Telstra
• TelstraSuper
• IBM
• Workday Australia
• CipherStash
• Partners for Growth
• 1835i
• Mentem by UNSW
• DUG Technologies
• GreenSquareDC
• EventsAIR
   

Pounder said collaboration is vital to facilitating innovation and using learnings to shape policy.

“Coming together as an industry and collaborating on some of the most crucial issues across our economy will ensure we have the right settings in place for a prosperous future,” she said.

“We also have the ability to hear from some of the most innovative companies in the world as part of this group and bring those insights to policymakers.

“As the TCA approaches our second birthday, we couldn’t be prouder of what we have achieved. There have been some real breakthroughs for our sector which we feel incredibly proud of.”

Some achievements since launch include:

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing the adoption of the TCA’s goal of 1.2 million tech workers by 2030 as part of official government policy.
• $1 billion for critical technologies as part of the government’s National Reconstruction Fund.
• Reforms to employee share schemes to reduce red tape, improve tax arrangements and help Australian tech companies compete for the best talent.
• The introduction of the $1 billion Technology Investment Boost to increase tech adoption by small and medium enterprises.
• A commitment from the government to work with the TCA and other industry bodies to develop digital apprenticeships as part of the Digital and Tech Skills Compact.
• Political support for the Digital Employment Forum’s proposed National Virtual Work Experience Program, to allow secondary school students to try a career in tech, no matter where they are or what barriers they face.
• Additional funding to clear the skilled migration visa backlog, an expansion of post-study work rights for university graduates and a major review of the skilled migration system.
• Improved guidance material for software claims under the Research and Development Tax Incentive.
• More informed regulatory design, including the creation of a constructive tech industry voice on cybersecurity and privacy reform.
   

“We welcome our new members and look forward to working with them as part of our membership community,” Pounder said.

Image credit: iStock.com/Olemedia