Giving Australian businesses the digital advantage
By 2020, Australia will rank in the top five Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in relation to the percentage of businesses, and not for profit organisations, using online opportunities to drive productivity improvements, expand their customer base and enable jobs growth.
The NBN will deliver a faster, more reliable broadband network for all Australian businesses, no matter which part of the country they’re based in. It will allow more Australian businesses —particularly small businesses, regional businesses and not-for-profit organisations —to compete in the global marketplace.
Why is it important?
Australians are increasingly looking online for local businesses. We research products online, comparing prices and then use that knowledge when we go shopping in a bricks and mortar store. We like shopping online, too. It’s convenient, time saving and often money saving. The number of us shopping online will only increase and Australian businesses and not-for-profit organisations will be able to take advantage by using the internet to provide better services and ways of keeping in contact with customers. The NBN will especially allow businesses in regional areas to compete Australia-wide and globally.
Where are we now?
Although many Australian businesses have a website, not all of them are taking advantage of the opportunities that being online can bring. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show that a couple of years ago, only 41.5 per cent of Australian businesses had a web presence and even less (27.1 per cent) of Australian businesses took orders via the internet.
Government Initiatives
The Digital Enterprise program is providing group training to small to medium businesses and not-for-profit organisations to help get their businesses online.
