Page 152 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
advice it also worked with the Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre and benefitted from the entrepreneur development fund which offers grants up to $20,000 on a matched funding basis.
Another Canberra company, Cloud Central, won the 2012 Canberra BusinessPoint award in the web and mobile category. As well as business point and Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre advice it too received a $50,000 ACT government innovation connect grant. Innovation connect grants are awarded up to $50,000 as matched funding with payments made after agreed milestones are reached. Cloud Central started in Canberra in 2009 and it says it is Australia’s first provider dedicated solely to delivering the best cloud infrastructure solutions, offering a complete cloud computing environment to serve the needs of Australian enterprises and government agencies.
Sports Wizard is another Canberra company that has benefitted from a business development grant in its early days a few years ago allowing it to build on the type of sports expertise developed through the Canberra-based Australian Institute of Sports in my electorate of Ginninderra, of course. Sports scientists and people like Carrie Graf, coach of the Canberra Capitals, are working with Sports Wizard. The company describes itself as the world leader in qualitative research, analysis and measurement. Through its own research and development, Sports Wizard has made a global breakthrough into a new field of measuring elite sports performance using qualitative analysis and measurement alongside a unique methodology known as behavioural analytics.
I think we can agree that it is not the role of governments to distort a competitive market that is operating well except to protect the public’s interests though consumer, food, health and safety protections for example. The ACT government are not large enough to provide for major industry assistance even if we wanted to. What we can do is ensure that businesses enjoy a fairly regulated economy and we can support innovation and creativity of businesses with strategic investments, giving businesses, as I said, a hand up, not a handout, supporting business expansion, employment and diversification of our economy.
Another example of business support is the ACT government’s microcredit program, helping marginalised people or social enterprises who might not be able to get the support of banks or other investors to get a business idea off the ground. Just this week Mr Barr opened the entrepreneurial hub, Entry 29 in Childers Street, an idea driven by enthusiasts wanting a community co-working space and backed by the ACT government. It is encouraging technology development by bringing start-up operators together to mingle and collaborate. It has meeting facilities and access to mentors including business advisers and financiers. Who knows what start-ups or ideas whose time has come might emerge from Childers Street and sweep the world?
These are just some of the initiatives that demonstrate we want more jobs, more jobs in the private sector and a diversified economy. We can proudly say that this city and this government are open for business
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video