Andy Penn (Telstra)
Next was to ensure policy and regulatory settings support the telecommunications sector with a vision that “considers the success of the NBN, but not at the expense of the rest of the industry, as is currently the case”.
“We should all care about this because the digital economy is dependent on the success of the country's telecommunications' networks,” Penn said.
“With the completion of the NBN rollout and the rollout of 5G accelerating, there is now an excellent opportunity for the government to develop a vision for Australia's telecommunication industry for the next decade — A vision that is technology agnostic and that provides an environment that is pro-investment and pro-innovation.”
The last area that he believe needed to change was cyber security, which he said the Federal Government has already taken steps towards with its 2020 cyber security strategy.
With that being said, Penn also said that the Federal Government has the potential to make a positive difference, as seen with the implementation of policies aimed at mitigating the pandemic.
“Just like many of us as businesses, the Federal Government also needed to pivot quickly when the pandemic hit to ensure that it could continue to provide all its services to Australians, while also dealing with a massive surge in demand and inquires as it rolled out new initiatives to support the communities, such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker,” he said.
“Even before COVID, the government's aspiration was for Australia to be a leading digital economy by 2030. That aspiration is now more important than ever before.”
He added that if the country can meet that aspiration, “then it can only augur well for the prosperous nature of our nation”.
Success
With the right government policies in place, Penn said that flexibility was important to business success, stating that “work is something that we do, not to somewhere where we come”.
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