Securing Australia’s place in the digital economy

There are many benefits of having a faster, more reliable broadband network for Australian businesses.
We’ll see more Australian businesses and non-profit organisations getting online and taking advantage of the opportunities—particularly those in regional and remote areas. The NBN will enable Australian businesses to conduct their existing business processes more efficiently, to maximise their overall competitiveness, grow revenues and increase productivity. It will also spur new business processes and innovations that can drive Australia’s future economic growth.

On a national scale, the NBN represents an investment in the underlying infrastructure that will support the growth of Australia’s digital economy into the future. Maximising the full potential of Australia’s digital economy is expected to help deliver improved wellbeing in the form of better economic, education, health, social and environmental outcomes for all Australians.

The NBN plays a big role in the Australian Government’s Digital Economy Goal to make Australia one of the top five OECD countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in terms of businesses using broadband to improve productivity.

“Digital Economy Goal: by 2020, Australia will rank in the top five OECD countries in the percentage of businesses and not-for-profit organisations using online opportunities to drive productivity improvements, expand their customer base and enable jobs growth.”

Fast facts

• A high-speed, ubiquitous broadband network will enable Australian businesses to trade to a global marketplace, many for the first time
• The OECD estimated the impacts of e-commerce on distribution costs for some types of businesses could result in savings of 50—90 per cent, compared to traditional bricks and mortar systems

Learn more

• The Economic and Social Impact of Electronic Commerce – (OECD report)[PDF - 1.45mb]
• Household E-Commerce Activity and Trends in Australia – (Access Economics) [PDF - 492kb]
• Race Online 2012 campaign research – (UK Government)
• The Economic Case for Digital Inclusion – (PriceWaterhouseCooper) [PDF -492kb]
• Business Innovation and the Use of Information and Communications Technology – (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
• The Australian Government’s Digital Economy Strategy