Blog

Getting small businesses online and taking part in the digital economy is crucial. If you are not online, you are effectively invisible to an increasing number of customers who are searching for services on the internet. 

If your business or community organisation is not online and transacting online, you are also missing out on many of the benefits of the digital economy.

It’s been great to visit The Beaufort Street Merchant in Perth to see how they are using the internet to drive sales growth and ensure they are attracting customers who haven’t driven past the front door.

Of course, having the infrastructure in place to allow businesses to take advantage of online opportunities is crucial.

The current lack of affordable high speed broadband services means there is a large percentage of businesses missing out on the opportunities that the digital economy can provide.

ABS statistics show us that almost 60 per cent of Australian businesses do not have a web presence and 73 per cent do not offer sales and transactions online.

This is despite the fact that in Western Australia, people have embraced the internet – WA has the second highest proportion of households with internet access of all states – 75%.

I am very pleased that next week the Prime Minister and Cabinet will be coming to Western Australia, and that a Community Cabinet event will take place on Wednesday in my electorate of Fremantle.

This will be a very welcome instalment of this Labor Government’s ongoing commitment to taking Cabinet to all parts of Australia, and to hearing from people all over the country in an open, laidback, and responsive manner.

Our $1.8 billion investment has seen more than 1,000 schools receive new and refurbished facilities such as classrooms, libraries, arts, science and sporting facilities and sustainability upgrades including water tanks and solar panels.

The Gillard Labor Government is delivering on vital road, rail and port projects in WA to better connect communities, support local jobs and stimulate investment. These include:

• $350 million towards the upgrade of road and rail links around Perth airport and the Kewdale industrial area as part of the Perth Urban Transport and Freight Corridor project, helping to reduce congestion and improve productivity and safety.

• $236 million towards the sinking of the rail line at Northbridge to reunite the retail district of Perth’s CBD with the Northbridge entertainment precinct, opening the way for new residential and commercial developments.

• A $135 million investment in WA’s grain rail network to assist restoring its reliability and efficiency. This infrastructure is vital to the livelihood of the State’s primary producers as well as Australia’s trade performance and competitiveness. 

Yesterday I announced a range of reforms that will help more Australians get high paying skilled jobs in the resource sector.

It is a priority of this Government to ensure that Australians can access the training they need to ensure they are first in line to take new opportunities in the mining industry.

Last week I was fortunate to visit the beautiful cities of Perth and Fremantle and meet a range of people who devote their lives to helping their fellow community members.

I have just spent a day in Geraldton with Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy. He has been visiting Geraldton to mark the completion of the 449 kilometre Perth to Geraldton optic fibre link.

The highlight of the day was definitely talking to the Gardiner family about how they are enjoying the benefits of their new 13MBPS connection speeds.  These speeds have been made possible by this new infrastructure.

I have been out and about in regional WA over the past few days and have met some fascinating people and, importantly, launched  some  innovative local tourism projects. Yesterday my travels took me to Albany, Pemberton and Manjimup and I want to encourage others, from around Australia and around the world, to also visit some of these amazing spots.

Every brave mother who ever raised a strong daughter has played a part in improving equality.  Prime Minister Gillard paid tribute to them and all courageous women while marking International Women’s Day in Washington.

Australian troops played a major role in the Vietnam War and stories of their bravery and sacrifices are an important part of our history.

That’s why Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam Veterans Education Centre is so important – it will inform visitors about this defining part of our history.

Before heading to the United States for meetings with President Obama and other U.S Officials, Prime Minister Gillard took time to mark International Women’s Day.

From Parliament House, Prime Minister Gillard acknowledged, “Women like me are lucky – the positions we hold are based on the efforts of so many courageous women not only in the century since the first International Women’s Day but through history.”