FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY
Education, skills, training, science, innovation and productivity
The Australian Government is committed to building on our $1.2 trillion economy so that we can compete with the leading nations in a world economy that is being transformed by globalisation, new technologies, and the rise of China and India. While we take full advantage of the mining boom, we must also build long term competitive strengths in the global industries of tomorrow - industries that will provide the high-paying jobs of the future.
In implementing the Government’s human capital agenda, the objective is to build a world class education system that can transform our workforce into the best educated and most highly trained in the world. This in turn is aimed at boosting long-term workforce participation and productivity. This program has begun with the immediate priorities of expanding training places to tackle the skills crisis, as well as providing universal early childhood education, a rigorous national school curriculum, improved information technology and trades training infrastructure for the 3.3 million young Australians at school.
The Australia 2020 Summit [1] will examine ways to:
- After a long period of sustained economic growth and with the added benefits of the global mining boom, how do we best invest the proceeds of this prosperity to lay the foundations for future economic growth
- How we best prepare for a global economy that will increasingly be based upon advanced skills, advanced technology, low carbon energy sources and integration with global supply chains
- How we take advantage of Australia’s proximity to the fast growing economies in the world
- How Australia attracts and retains the most talented, creative and highly skilled people, including researchers and scientists, entrepreneurs, and professional and skilled workers
- How we ensure that our children have the highest quality teachers, whether in early childhood, school, TAFE or university, including dealing with the crisis in maths and science related disciplines across the education system
- How we foster innovation in the workplace; encouraging the transfer of ideas across businesses and economies.
Use this online forum to contribute your ideas to the Summit.