The DTT forms part of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC), with the discussion led by First Assistant Secretary Michelle Dowdell and Victorian Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Paul Guerra.

A number of Victorian business representatives participated in the meeting and discussed the challenges and opportunities in areas such as digitalisation, skills and training, regulation and cyber security objectives and outlook for the next six to 12 months.

VCCI and DTT wanted to understand the ways different businesses from different sizes and industries use technology and some of the ways it helps, while outlining some of the hurdles faced when adopting the technology – and, once adopted, how best to utilise it.

The discussions addressed the following pillars:

• Digitalisation: What are some of the biggest opportunities and challenges your organisation has faced as the economy has become increasingly digitalised? How do you currently adopt and implement digital technologies? Do you incorporate AI or other emerging technologies into your digital systems?
• Digital Literacy: How is the adoption of digital technologies changing what you need from the labour market? What kind of skills are you looking for? What challenges are you facing in attracting employees with the digital skills that you need? What approaches, if any, are you taking to build the digital skills of existing employees?
• Regulation: What are your reflections and concerns regarding costs associated with regulatory and compliance standards at the state, federal and business level? What suggestions do you have to address these concerns?
• Cyber Security: What level of concern does your organisation have with ongoing cyber security threats? What if any risk mitigations have your organisation put in place? What do you think needs to be done to better address cyber security threats?

Roundtables are invaluable to hear from members about their first-hand experiences and help shape effective policy recommendations to government. 

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry General Manager, Policy and Advocacy Dylan Broomfield said: "The Victorian Chamber was delighted to partner with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to deliver a roundtable on the issues impacting ICT companies who are enabling the transition towards an increasingly digitised economy.

“Businesses who attended the roundtable enjoyed the opportunity to let key decision makers aware of issues and concerns in the industry, including the need for greater consistency across tiers of government, addressing workforce issues and prioritising data and cybersecurity protection."

Advocacy and Support

For more information on the Victorian Chamber’s advocacy work, please visit the Policy and Advocacy section of our website.

If you have any questions or would like to be involved in digital advocacy or our broader advocacy work, please contact us via policy@victorianchamber.com.au