On Four Ways to Make Australia More Innovative

In September 2013 Patrick Llewellyn, CEO of 99designs, the world’s largest graphic design marketplace, published his thoughts on four ways to make Australia more competitive.

Llewellyn’s ideas include:

• Education reform: if kids love tablets and phones so much, why aren’t we teaching them to make games and apps. Start in primary school, teach the key ideas of computer science, computational thinking, and learning to program.
• Celebrate entrepreneurs: the US treats its tech giants as heroes – can Australia do the same for the founders of SEEK, Atlassian, 99designs and a range of investors.
• Welcome skilled migrants: using Israel as an example of where humanitarian issues (the desire for a Jewish homeland), immigration and economic interests combined to create a successful culture of innovation. Australia is in a position to open its immigration policy up to similar reforms.
• Inject infrastructure: build the National Broadband Network, both as a solid piece of infrastructure and a symbol that the government understands the need for tech investment to link Australia to the world.

Sounds like a plan.