ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
WHY WE NEED A
CLEAR VISION FOR
AUSTRALIA AS A
SMART NATION
BY NEIL GLENTWORTH
The global economy is seeing a tectonic shift as
technology and connectivity become all-pervasive.
Countries are redefining themselves to address
the challenges and opportunities provided by
the fourth industrial revolution [1]. With its
remarkable resources, wide open spaces and an
enviable lifestyle, is Australia just a passenger in
this revolution?
All sides of the political spectrum understand we
must embrace innovation to thrive but are we on
the right track or just marking time? The current
innovation agenda is providing some glimmers
of hope but only if you’re looking hard. Will our
Australian luck continue if we just apply a ‘she’ll be
right’ approach?
SMART CITIES – ARE WE THERE YET?
A defining part of this industrial revolution is the
seamless interaction of physical, digital, and
biological environments [2]; for many, this is
most evident in their built environment, the smart
city. Much is written and quoted about cities, towns
and regions being smart. There are many so-called
innovation and smart city projects occurring in
Australia – some are delivering tangible outcomes,
others are merely poorly defined technology projects.
With significant funding provided by all levels of
government to enable these ‘smart’ projects, the
question must be asked, who is getting the value?
In 2016, I published the article ‘What makes a
city smart’. My point was that in a true smart city,
communities must be empowered to make better
decisions through dynamic data at their fingertips.
Several Australian ‘smart’ projects built on this
premise are seeing social and economic gains
for their communities. Through careful planning
in collaboration with the community, low cost and
high value outcomes are being achieved that are
improving the lives of Australians. Alas, many of
these projects are occurring in isolation, thus stifling
the macro opportunity for Australia.
The surge in ‘smart city’ projects is largely being
driven by technology, despite some of the social
and economic foundation work provided by the
Federal Government [3]. Here lies the problem:
what’s the destination?
Without a unifying vision, without genuine
community engagement and ongoing collaboration,
many smart projects are merely adding cost to
their rate/tax payers with no fundamental gain.
A smart program must be so much more; it must
be about everyone being smart, not just one
aspect of society.
There is an urgent need for a single vision, with
clear goals for every Australian: businesses,
unions, not-for-profits, governments, communities,
young and old – we need a vision for a smart
nation of Australia.
SINGAPORE’S UNITED SMART VISION
Singapore is on the ‘doorstep’ of Australia, a mere
eight-hour flight, yet it is almost a parallel universe
in terms of digital transformation. Over the years
I have travelled through, stayed and conducted
business in Singapore, and each time I am
inspired by what can be achieved.
Yes, a comparison between Singapore and
Australia isn’t entirely fair. Singapore is a small,
densely populated country with a different political
system to Australia – but Singaporeans have some
of the highest trust in their government for an
advanced nation.
Over the 53 years since the formation of the
sovereign nation that is now Singapore,
it has reinvented itself many times over, from
shipping, banking, tourism and now data. In recent
years, Singapore embarked on Smart Nation
Singapore [4].
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