This document summarizes a consultation meeting about leveraging opportunities in the digital economy for the creative industries in Northern Rivers, Australia. The key topics discussed include: - The importance of creativity and how ideas can now be brought to market more easily and cheaply thanks to digital technologies and outsourcing. - An overview of the National Broadband Network and how it will provide much faster and more reliable internet speeds. - Examples of how the health, education and other sectors have used digital technologies to improve services, increase efficiencies and reach new markets. - A discussion of strengths, opportunities and threats for the creative industries in Northern Rivers and priorities for the sector. - Next steps including documenting the outcomes and ongoing engagement

2. Digital Economy Strategy
Consultation:
Creative Industries

3. Why are we here?
• Introduction – Fergal Coleman
• To discuss the digital economy and how Northern
Rivers can grasp the opportunities
• It’s not a meeting about the NBN – the NBN is one
(important) enabler
• It’s about information, discussion and ongoing
involvement
• We want your ideas and thoughts

4. The importance of creativity
“Today, just about everything is becoming a commodity, except
imagination, except the ability to spark new ideas. If I just have the spark of
an idea now, I can get a designer in Taiwan to design it. I can get a factory in
China to produce a prototype. I can get a factory in Vietnam to mass
manufacture it. I can use Amazon.com to handle fulfilment. I can use
freelancer.com to find someone to do my logo and manage my backroom.
And I can do all this at incredibly low prices. The one thing that is not a
commodity and never will be is that spark of an idea.”
Tom Friedman, NY Times Editorial, 20 March 2010

5. We have already started
• www.digitalnorthernrivers.com.au
• Diagnostic: www.digitaleconomy.net.au
• Twitter: @digital_nr #digitaleconomy
• Get involved, contribute and stay up to date

6. Agenda
• Introductions (5 min)
• Overview of the NBN (15 min)
• The digital economy (10 min)
• Health and aged care – some examples (5 min)
• What the digital economy means for the region? (40 mins)
• How can aged care and health service providers:
• Deliver better service to it’s customers and community
• Get efficiencies in their organisations(40 mins)
• Next steps (5 mins)

7. What does the NBN mean?
• Faster… much, much, faster
The NBN will provide 93 per cent of households broadband speeds of
up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps), or about 28 times faster than
most people experience today. The remaining premises (seven per
cent) will be connected via a combination of wireless and satellite
technologies providing peak speeds of at least 12 Mbps.
• More reliable
• Ubiquitous

8. Speed Comparison

9. NBN is a wholesaler
Pricing: http://www.bit.com.au/Guide/312738,nbn-prices-the-
cheapest-plans-from-14-providers-compared.aspx

10. Future Proofing
Google Fiber
here, and
Singapore
building this

11. We Need to Get Up to Speed

12. The NBN is not the Digital Economy
The Digital Economy is what we decide to develop using the NBN:
It involves innovation and change: new skills, new processes, new
business models

13. The Digital Economy is about better lives!
The eight National 'Digital Economy Goals' focus on the areas of:
• Online participation by Australian households (Digital Divide)
• Online engagement by Australian businesses and not-for-profit organisations
• Smart management of our environment and infrastructure
• Improved health and aged care
• Expanded online education
• Increased teleworking
• Improved online government service delivery and engagement
• Greater digital engagement in regional Australia.

14. Examples and new models
• Households: Kansas City – 6 HD movies being streamed in one house! Digital
champions, Digital divide
• Shoes of Prey, Freelancer.com.au
• Smart farms – UNSW Armidale, foodtraders.com.au
• Health and Aged Care – Fruit Ninja and Health!, Lower Murray Medical and
Vidyo, Edisse.com
• Education: Coursera.org, khanacademy.com,
• Increased teleworking – It works - My company! (Anglesea, Docklands, Mumbai,
Dublin)
• Data.gov.au, Gov2.0, online consultation, virtual libraries
• Big Data, 3D printing, crowd sourcing

15. Examples: Creative Industries
• Virtual Collaboration
• 3D Printing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7o7BrlbaDs
http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_a_virtual_choir_2_000_voices_strong.html

16. Examples: Creative Industries
• Co-working spaces

17. The Creative Industries @ Northern Rivers
1. What needs to be done to leverage high speed
broadband?
• Strengths and weaknesses of the creative industries in NR
• Opportunities – what are they and how can we maximise
them
• Threats – what are they and how can we minimise them?
What three things should the sector prioritise?

18. For your own organisation
1. Discuss with a partner how the Digital Economy will change your
business?
• New markets/customers
• New ways of making/delivering your service
• New suppliers/partners
• Internal efficiencies – using web technologies
What’s the one thing you will do in your own organisation after
today?

19. Next Steps
• We will document the outcomes from today
• We will follow up with further questions?
• A draft will be made available for comment
• Stay involved, promote and engage with us at
www.digitalnorthernrivers.com.au