AIIA releases Vic election IT manifesto

The Australian Information Industry Association has released an IT industry manifesto ahead of the Victorian elections.

The association believed that 2010 is an important year for Victorian IT because of the National Broadband Network, pointing to the placement of the NBN operations centre in Melbourne as a win for the state.

It believes that Victoria can be "the connected state" and called on parties to include polices in their election campaigns that strengthen the digital economy.

The body penned a wish list, saying that it wanted to see:

• The creation of a joint industry and cabinet council to keep the government abreast of strategic ICT issues
• Better procurement practices
• Privacy and security concerns addressed to foster confidence in the digital economy
• The state's Market Validation Program continuing, keeping innovation firing on all cylinders
• Entrepreneurs being discovered and fostered
• Broadband being used to encourage regional ICT hubs
• The government working with ICT industry to attract more ICT jobs to the state.

IT has already taken a front seat in the election, with Premier John Brumby saying that if Labor was re-elected, he would provide funding for an iPad for every doctor in the state's public hospitals. His party has also promised money to enable web streaming of court cases.