If you run a small business, startup, or consider yourself an entrepreneur, now is your chance to have your say about WA’s “innovation ecosystem”.
The Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Public Administration in November announced it would launch an inquiry to examine the size of this ecosystem, the kinds of people operating within it and what the Government can do to support them.
Whether you’re in tech, hospitality, green energy, or e-commerce, or even if you’ve just always wanted to launch a totally unique idea into the real world, the Committee wants to hear from you.
It follows the release of WA’s innovation strategy, which sets out five main goals for the State, including for WA to become a world leader in research and inventiveness, for it to be the location of choice for product development and for the State to better adopt more local technologies.
According to global figures, Australia ranks ninth in the world for startups, behind France, Germany and Singapore.
The country is pushing to move up that list through a “build more here” mentality and WA wants to be at the heart of it.
You might have noticed some major entrepreneurship forums popping up in Perth recently, like West Tech Fest which took over Perth last week, or the Agri-Food tech event, EvokeAG2024. This is all part of the journey towards making Perth an internationally recognised hub of innovation.
Agriculture, tech, and green energy are of particular interest, largely because of the challenges the changing climate presents us with.
The Federal Government has set the ambitious target of having 82 per cent of Australia’s power come from renewables by 2030, the same year it wants to see our emissions down by 42 per cent on 2005 levels.
But the workforce and innovation are not currently there — yet. If you think there is a way for WA to help fill these gaps, the time is right to make your voice heard.
The State Government has also already made some targeted investments, including launching a $1.6 billion Future Health Research and Innovation Fund, and a $900 million Digital Capability Fund.
And for those that are just starting out, there’s the $30 million New Industries Fund to get you through that first period of launching a business.
But the Committee wants to make sure future initiatives are aimed in the right places and that’s where you come in.
If there’s a gap in funding or grants, or an obstacle you and your peers seem to be coming up against as you try to launch or expand your businesses, this is your chance to tell the right people about it.
The inquiry will start by taking written submissions on what it’s like to be a startup or entrepreneur and wants any ideas you may have for what the government can do to better support the innovation ecosystem.
Submissions close at 5:00 pm on January 31, 2024. More information can be found here.
