AIIA - Australian Information Industry Association - AIIA celebrates 30 years of industry leadership

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Thursday 28 August 2008

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) this week celebrates its 30th anniversary as the peak industry body for the Australian technology sector.

At an Old Parliament House function for politicians and industry stakeholders, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy told the audience: “AIIA has been a key player in this area for many years, and I expect that in years to come we will be able to look back at significant further contributions this group has made to the digital world.”

“I congratulate the AIIA and its members on being an integral part of the ‘ICT space’ over the past three decades, and wish you continued success as you enter your 31st year,” Senator Conroy said.

Since 1978, AIIA has grown from 23 founding members to represent almost 500 technology companies in Australia. AIIA members employ over 100,000 Australians, export more than $2 billion in goods and services each year, and deliver over half of the sector’s total annual revenue of $90 billion per annum in an industry that contributes 5% of GDP.

Some of the association’s many industry achievements in Australia over the past 30 years include:

AIIA’s lobbying win in which the government agreed to remove sales tax on software. The decision saved the software industry 10 per cent of its value every year over 12 years – a saving of billions of dollars.
AIIA’s prolonged battle to ensure all data networking equipment was not simply classified as telecoms equipment, which saved our members millions of dollars in government tariffs.
AIIA’s successful campaign to reduce capital gains tax on technology investments for SMEs by 50 per cent.
AIIA’s sustained pressure on the federal government for many years, which resulted in a change of government contracting policy that now allows suppliers' to cap their liability at appropriate levels in ICT goods and services procurement.

AIIA Chairman and Managing Director of Data #3, John Grant, said that the 30th anniversary came at an interesting time, “as AIIA recasts its vision to a future where a thriving, sustainable and profitable information industry is recognised as underpinning opportunity for all Australians and the Australian economy.

Mr Grant said, “In 2008, AIIA is setting the strategic direction for the Australian technology industry across five key areas to realise this vision:

industry growth
workforce
infrastructure
shaping the business environment
environmental sustainability."

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For more information or photographs, contact:

Rhett Somers
Australian Information Industry Association
Mobile: 0411 670 007
r.somers@aiia.com.au