The march of (technological) progress

Technology-friendly culture

Many factors influence a nation’s productivity, competitiveness and wellbeing: education, work practices, quality of infrastructure, regulatory framework and so on. The role of technology and innovation is especially important, although the near-term connections are sometimes hard to quantify.

The modern economy runs on brainpower and skills. Initially, the new digital economy was owned by the young. Beginning in 1996, most high-school graduates were internet trained.

By 2016, 20 years later, half the Australian workforce will be of the internet generation, where web usage, and search and networking dexterity will be core skills - albeit in the hands of young people where only 35 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds will have a bachelor-level qualification.

And mobile computing devices will be the ubiquitous tool of trade.

Technically competent people will be needed - to help allocate increasingly scarce capital to the best investment alternative, to manage large and small engineering projects, to inform and drive public debate and policy and to make reasoned judgments about new technologies, which are not always free from controversy and concern and sometimes push us out of our comfort zones.

Realising the potential within our technically enabled society will not happen automatically. There is an important technology leadership role - for our universities, CSIRO, our national and industrial R&D laboratories, our great Academies, our governments - which could also deliver community understanding and support.

And it seems to me that ATSE, through forums such as this evening, is leading the way in illuminating the central role of science and technology in modern society and in celebrating our technology heroes.