Tech Council chair Scott Farquhar has been invited to join business group leaders, policy experts and unionists at the federal government’s productivity roundtable, adding a greater tech lens to the talks.
Invitations have also been issued to NSW Treasurer and and Board of Treasurers chair Daniel Mookhey, Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn, and competition watchdog chief Gina Cass-Gottlieb.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced the second round of invites on Friday, adding another 13 leaders to the economic summit focused on turning around years of flatlining productivity in Australia.
An earlier round had invited key economic policy leaders from groups like the Business Council of Australia and Australian Industry Group, as well as the Productivity Commission and Australian Council of Trade Unions.
But despite insisting that artificial intelligence and data could help unlock productivity, the government initially overlooked a wider selection of interest groups, including those representing the technology sector.
It led to calls from groups like Science and Technology Australia to inject a focus on research-driven innovation and technology, which has driven major jumps in national productivity.
According to analysis conducted by Mandala Partners for OpenAI, the tech sector is by far the largest source of productivity growth in Australia, breaking away from other market sectors in 2015 and continuing to climb.
The government has now heeded those calls by inviting Mr Farquhar, who is the co-founder and former co-chief executive of software giant Atlassian and chair of the peak industry body representing Australia’s tech sector.
Mr Farquhar, who assumed the role as Tech Council chair in March, is no stranger to government roundtables, having participated in the Jobs and Skills Summit three years ago.
He will be joined by Mr Mookhey, who made moves in the most recent NSW Budget to fast-track data centre projects, and Mr Comyn, who has warned the country is in danger of being left behind on AI.
Other new invitees include Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation chair and former Treasury secretary Ken Henry, and Griffith University chancellor and former Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser.
Mr Chalmers described the new invitees as an “outstanding group of people who we believe will make a big contribution to the future direction of economic reform”.
More invitations for participants to attend specific sessions will be issued in the coming weeks, he said, adding that “everyone would also have the chance to have their say in the process” through Productivity Commission’s inquiry.
The full list of new invitees:
- National Housing Supply and Affordability Council chair Sue Lloyd-Hurwitz
- Competition Review Expert Advisory Panel chair Kerry Schott
- Commonwealth Bank of Australia chief executive Matt Comyn
- Tech Council of Australia chair Scott Farquhar
- IFM Investors Cath Bowtell
- Woodside board member and former Treasurer of Western Australia Ben Wyatt
- Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation chair Ken Henry
- Australian Retirement Trust chair and Griffith University chancellor Andrew Fraser
- Independent MP Allegra Spender
- NSW Treasurer and Board of Treasurers chair Daniel Mookhey
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb
- Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Steven Kennedy
- Department of the Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson
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