Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has declared the City of Prospect’s Digital Economy Strategy the best in Australia.
Speaking at the inner Adelaide Council’s annual business leaders breakfast on 5 March, he said there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm among councils surrounding their strategies.
“There is strong competition for the title of the absolute best,” he said. “But, the vision outlined by Prospect is the best in the country.”
Prospect CEO Mark Goldstone said the City’s Digital Economy Strategy has been an 18 month journey that has included pilot projects to prove deliverable outcomes. He said the final strategy comprises
14 projects that will ready Council’s business and residential community for the National Broadband Network (NBN).
“The strategy was developed in response to demands from our local business community for bigger and faster broadband, as well as research into the potential of our economy and the future rollout of the NBN,” Mark Goldstone said. “There is little point in declaring your desire for your Council to be first to see the rollout of the NBN in your City, if your businesses and residents don’t understand what to do with the fibre.
“Supporting the community and ensuring it has the skills and knowledge to use broadband to its fullest capacity will in turn drive microeconomic diversity, wealth generation and improve social wellbeing.
“Senator Conroy’s comments on our strategy are the icing on the cake and we regard them as a high accolade in such a new space as the digital economy.
“Not only are we proud of our number one position, but we also believe we have created a world first strategy for a Local Government authority.”
One core project under the strategy was developed to support local small businesses to understand trading over the internet. This project won pilot funding from the South Australian Government’s Department for Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.
From this pilot project, 140 local small and medium enterprises undertook a two and a half day program that in many instances transformed the business model of participants.
The strategy has also created some Australian firsts, such as a digital daily newspaper – Prospect INDAILY. A collaboration with Solstice Media, INDAILY is emailed to over one thousand residents and businesses that have registered to receive the e-newspaper. It includes international, national and regional news, with one page daily devoted to council news.
Council has also introduced an open access wireless service at its library to support people who like to have internet access as they travel around the city.
“The wireless service is incredibly popular and it is not unusual to see cars parked around the library at 8am with laptops up on steering wheels and drivers checking out their daily diary online,” said Library Manager Anne Gowin.
Prospect’s Digital Economy Strategy is the foundation strategy used to create a NBN proposal from the Eastern Region Alliance of Councils. This was also presented to Senator Conroy at the Prospect breakfast.
For further information on the strategy, or to obtain a copy, contact Council’s Director Business and Economic Development, Steve Harrison, on (08) 8342 8062.
