Digital economy workshops and forum
Consultations with industry formed the first phase of the Australian Government's consultation for developing the Australia's Digital Economy: Future Directions paper. This was done through three workshops held in August 2008. The workshops focused on capabilities, confidence and content issues. Potential developments in the digital economy to the year 2013 as faster broadband becomes more widely available were also considered at the workshops. The aim of the industry consultation was to outline the role that stakeholders could play to maximise the benefits from the Australian Government's investment in digital economy initiatives. A wide range of stakeholder interests were represented at the workshops including industry experts, associations and government representatives.
This consultation phase concluded with a high level Forum held in Melbourne on 10 September 2008. The Forum was chaired by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy, and attended by more than 100 representatives from industry, research organisations and various levels of government.
More details about the forum can be found in the Minister's media release of 10 September 2008.
Information about what was discussed at the forum includes:
- Keynote address by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy. Text version.
- Panel discussion on the digital economy by:
- Senator Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
- Mr Philip Argy, Immediate Past President, Australian Computer Society
- Dr Genevieve Bell, Director User Experience, Intel
- Mr Ian Birks, CEO, Australian Information Industry Association
- Mr Peter Coroneous, Chief Executive, Internet Industry Association
- Dr Steve Hodgkinson, Research Director Public Sector, Ovum
- Mr Alan Noble Engineering Director, Google, and
- Mr Greg Stone CTO, Microsoft Australia.
- Presentation on social and cultural perspectives, by Dr Genevieve Bell, Director User Experience, Intel.
- Minster's closing, by Senator Conroy.
Outcomes from the workshops and forum identified key themes that have then been developed and further consulted on as part of the second and third stages of consultation via the 
Digital Economy blog and via a consultation draft:
