This document discusses focusing on developing Queensland's digital industry. It aims to increase production and consumption of innovative digital solutions, attract talented people to digital careers, and foster cross-industry partnerships. The government's role is to partner with industry to reform government services digitally and support skills development. There are opportunities to grow Queensland's digital skills base, startups, jobs, and attract/retain digital talent. Strengthening relationships between industry and education could provide work-ready graduates and commercialize technologies. Some actions may be best led by digital industry organizations in partnership with government and business groups.

1. Queensland Digital Draft Queensland Digital Economy StrategyPage 17
Focus area:
Digital industry
This focus area is about identifying future actions
and ideas that would contribute to the increased
production and consumption of innovative
Queensland digital solutions, would attract bright and
talented people into digital careers and would lead
to better cross-industry partnerships. The enabling
activity provided by the work in this focus area is
critical to supporting the other focus areas.
The role of the Queensland Government in this focus
area is primarily to:
• partner with the local digital industry in the reform,
renewal and revitalisation of frontline and other
government services to digital channels
• support skills development and encourage
collaborations with industry and tertiary education
sectors.
Queensland has a vibrant and talented digital industry
supported by world-class education and research
institutions. Queensland is also an attractive location
for creative digital developers who can now work globally.
The Queensland digital industry can offer services and
solutions to assist other businesses and industries to
realise their potential and increase their productivity
by accessing supply chains, new markets, workforce
mobility and better use of cloud-based systems.
There are opportunities to grow our digital skills base
and increase the number of high growth digital start-
up ventures in Queensland. This would create skilled
jobs, increase export earnings and raise Queensland’s
international profile. There are also opportunities
to attract and retain bright and creative students,
workers and researchers into the state’s digital and
other industry sectors.
There is an opportunity to strengthen relationships
between the Queensland digital industry and the
university and research sector to provide work ready
graduates and commercialise new technologies.
Compared to other developed countries, Australia
has low levels of venture capital to support innovative
digital technologies and services developed by local
firms and start-ups.
Some of the action ideas in this focus area may
be best delivered by those organisations closest
to the digital industry. In this regard, partnering
arrangements between the levels of government
and business and industry peak bodies will be an
important element in delivering on this strategy.
A day in the life of digital
entrepreneur in 2016
Aaron recently started up a business that uses
sensors on surfboards to improve a surfer’s
techniques.
Aaron is a keen surfer but knew little about digital
systems two years ago. He started going to meet-
ups on the Sunshine Coast and learnt from others
about using sensors and building systems that
monitor movement.
He decided to enrol in a course online – one where
he could ask developers specific questions – and
within a year he had built a prototype of a system
for coaching better surfers.
Aaron knew it would be popular so he decided
to crowdfund the money needed to manufacture
sensors and commercialise his idea. He
crowdfunded significant funds online (primarily
from the surfing community) and he also attracted
investment from a local business angels group.
Today Aaron is pitching his surfer sensor system
to a US venture capital fund via a video conference
session. He doesn’t yet have a company office so
he is using his tablet from home, and has sent over
slides, videos and animations to the data projector
in a room in the Silicon Valley. He dropped these
into a cloud-based file-share application.
Prior to the meeting, Aaron accessed venture
capital advice from a group of trusted ICT and IP
advisors at a local University Commercialisation
Centre, and is excited that his innovation could get
enough backing to be developed further by local
developers, manufactured overseas and marketed
globally.
Local surfing and tourism businesses are also
excited about Aaron’s company, and are examining
ways Aaron’s system can be used in local surf
competitions. Professional athletes and coaches
from other water-based sports have also contacted
Aaron to look at the application of his sensor
system to their sport.

2. Queensland Digital Draft Queensland Digital Economy Strategy Page 18
Desired Outcomes Action Ideas – Digital Industry Focus Area
Queensland’s digital
sector managing core
digital infrastructure and
providing cost-effective
and innovative services
to anchor the Queensland
Government’s digital
government strategy.
Queensland’s digital
sector leads the nation
in school and university
partnerships, and
employment of digital
graduates.
Queensland recognised
nationally and
internationally for being the
home to twenty world class
digital content and services
companies.
Some actions could be developed around the following ideas:
• Partner with the local digital industry to provide digital infrastructure and
innovative services as the Queensland Government implements ICT as a
service and the One-Stop Shop initiative.
• Implement the Queensland Government’s new ICT industry registration and
pre-qualification options.
• Demonstrate the potential of digital technologies and services to drive
innovation across all industry sectors.
• Monitor the supply and demand for digital skills in Queensland to achieve
balance over time and to address emerging shortfalls.
• Implement the National Schools Curriculum technology stream into
Queensland schools.
• Work in partnership with key education, angel and investment groups,
business and local government stakeholders to increase the level of digital
entrepreneurship in Queensland.
• Attract digital related investment to Queensland.
Consultation Questions – Digital Industry Focus Area
1. What do you think of these action ideas?
2. What are the practical things that could be done to
implement them?
3. What role could non-government organisations
play in delivering these action ideas?
4. Do you have other action ideas?
5. How can the digital industry help the Queensland
Government and industry to achieve higher levels
of innovation and productivity through increased
‘usability’ of digital technologies and solutions?
6. How can we excite and encourage more
Queenslanders to undertake digital studies?