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foreword
Australians possess all the innate abilities to thrive in the coming century.
We are a creative and determined people and when confronted with challenges
and opportunities, we rise to the occasion.
Since winning office this Government has set about creating a climate in
which such attitudes are encouraged and in which calculated risk-taking-having
a go-is rewarded. The fundamental economic and industrial relations reforms
of recent years provide firm foundations upon which Australians can build
a prosperous future.
Yet a further key element of that success will be our capacity to generate
new ideas and bring them to life as innovative and exciting new Australian
products, services and businesses.
Backing Australia's Ability commits substantial additional money to the
significant funding my Government already provides for science, research
and innovation. This is evidence of our determination to back innovative
Australians, build on known strengths, explore new opportunities and compete
successfully with the best the world has to offer. It recognises that through
the efforts of our scientists, researchers and entrepreneurial business
leaders, all Australians will prosper.
This five-year strategy, developed with assistance from the business, education
and scientific communities, builds on our earlier initiatives - including
the Investing for Growth statement of December 1997, the higher education
White Paper, Knowledge and Innovation, and the doubling of funding for health
and medical research as part of the Government's response to The Virtuous
Cycle, the report of the Health and Medical Research Strategic Review.
The Government believes that the strategy marks a significant step in harnessing
the collective talent, energy and resources of all those dedicated to securing
Australia's economic future, both within and outside Government. It represents
a commitment to pursue excellence in research, science and technology, to
build an even more highly skilled workforce and increase opportunities for
the commercialisation of new ideas-in essence it is about backing Australia's
ability.
We invite all Australians to join in this exciting era. A great challenge
now exists for the community at large, and in particular those in business
and the research sector, to capitalise on the opportunities created. Together,
we can continue to build a nation where innovation and excellence thrives.
The Hon John Howard
MP
Prime Minister
executive summary
The initiatives outlined in this strategy are the latest in a series of
measures introduced by the Government to promote research, development and
innovation. Their effectiveness will be all the greater because of the more
general economic reforms initiated by the Howard Government to foster business
growth and entrepreneurial activity.
Recent major steps to boost innovative activity have included -
- The Investing for
Growth (December 1997) statement which increased support for business
innovation by providing $1.26 billion over the four years from 1998?99,
with additional funding for R&D grants, venture capital and technology
diffusion.
- The Knowledge and
Innovation (December 1999) statement which announced a new policy and
funding framework for higher education research and research training.
- The Government's
response to The Virtuous Cycle, the report of the Health and Medical Research
Strategic Review, injecting a further $614 million into health and medical
research over six years from 1999?00, which doubles the National Health
and Medical Research Council's annual budget by the year 2005.
- Establishing Biotechnology
Australia in 1999, and in July 2000 allocating an additional $30 million
over 3 years for targeted biotechnology initiatives.
Such initiatives have
seen the Government's current commitment to innovation increase in 2000?01
to $4.5 billion. However, more needs to be done in response to an increasingly
competitive world environment and the recognition that success in the 21st
century will depend predominantly on the innovative capacity of nations,
their industries and their research and educational structures.
To this end Backing
Australia's Ability provides a comprehensive and integrated package representing
an additional Government investment of $2.9 billion over five years. It
will fund major initiatives to stimulate innovation, including:
- providing an additional
$736 million for Australian Research Council competitive grants, doubling
funding by 2005-06;
- boosting research
infrastructure funding by $583 million;
- committing an additional
$176 million for world class centres of excellence in the key enabling
technologies of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and
biotechnology;
- providing $155 million
to support investments in major national research facilities;
- continuing the R&D
Start Program with funding of $535 million over five years;
- reforming the R&D
tax concession including the provision of a premium rate of 175 per cent
for additional R&D activity, and a tax rebate for small companies;
- expanding the Cooperative
Research Centres Program with an additional $227 million and encouraging
greater access by small and medium enterprises;
- increasing funding
to universities by $151 million to create 2000 additional university places
each year, with priority given to ICT, mathematics and science - to be
backed by adjustments to existing immigration arrangements to attract
more migrants with ICT skills; and
- delivering $130 million
to foster scientific, mathematical and technological skills and innovation
in government schools in those States where the Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment
(EBA) is triggered.
It is estimated that
the Government's investment of $2.9 billion will underpin business and research
organisation expenditure of approximately $6 billion.
innovation
a key to future prosperity
This Government believes that innovation-developing skills, generating new
ideas through research, and turning them into commercial success-is key
to Australia's future prosperity. Innovation is not only the province of
new or high tech industries, but also essential to the future of many of
our traditional sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and mining. The
Howard Government is determined to ensure that innovation drives growth
and we capitalise on the enormous potential of the new millennium.
Backing Australia's Ability outlines the next steps in the Government's
strategy to encourage and support innovation and enhance Australia's international
competitiveness, economic prosperity and social wellbeing.
Our success in these
areas will reflect how well Government, business, education and research
institutions work productively together to realise our national potential.
Government has two central
roles - firstly to provide the best possible economic, tax and educational
framework, and secondly to provide targeted direct support in areas where
private sector funding is not appropriate or available.
Backing Australia's
Ability reinforces the Government's long standing support for these roles.
It reinvigorates the research base, and provides targeted support to drive
commercial outcomes. Each initiative addresses a priority area and is designed
to have maximum impact while being fiscally responsible.
An important element
in continuing to enhance Australia's capacity for innovation will be the
acceptance of responsibility by the private sector and educational and research
institutions to work in partnership with Government in these key areas.
While past measures
have resulted in record spending by the Government on innovation and related
activities, it is clear that in the decades ahead, the importance of innovation
to national prosperity will continue to grow rapidly. Consequently, in the
1998 election the Government committed to holding a summit on innovation.
In February 2000, the
Government and the Business Council of Australia convened the National Innovation
Summit attracting over 500 participants, to assess the strengths and weaknesses
of Australia's innovation system, and formulate ways to improve performance
in this area. It also sought to provide a framework to address innovation
policy issues in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
The Innovation Summit Communiqué recognised that Australia has done
well in the past using our ingenuity and natural resources to build a strong
and robust economy, but noted that Australia is now at a crossroad:
We are in the midst
of a revolution from which a new order is emerging. The solutions of past
decades will not suffice in the new knowledge age. Intangible assets-our
human and intellectual capacity-are outstripping traditional assets-land,
labour and capital-as the drivers of growth. If we are to take the high
road, a road of high growth based on the value of our intellectual capital,
we need to stimulate, nurture and reward creativity and entrepreneurship.
Following the Summit,
the Innovation Summit Implementation Group, a dedicated team chaired by
Mr David Miles, developed the Innovation-Unlocking the Future report, which
assessed and prioritised the Summit recommendations. It highlighted the
need for Government, business, education and research organisations to work
together to harness the potential that innovation offers.
Prior to the Summit,
in August 1999 the Government commissioned Australia's Chief Scientist,
Dr Robin Batterham, to review the effectiveness of our science, engineering
and technology base in supporting innovation. A preliminary Discussion Paper
was circulated for public comment, and the final report, The Chance to Change,
was presented to Government in November 2000.
In December 1999 the
Government released its higher education White Paper, Knowledge and Innovation:
a policy statement on research and research training, announcing a new policy
and funding framework designed to ensure that universities were well placed
to contribute knowledge and ideas to, and educate researchers for, the national
innovation system.
Under the Prime Minister's
chairmanship, his Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) has
also prepared a series of working papers and reports on priority issues
to improve Australia's innovation performance.
These documents have
all played a crucial role in the Government's examination of our innovation
system and were fundamental in developing important elements of Backing
Australia's Ability.
A Ministerial Taskforce, comprising Nick Minchin, Minister for Industry,
Science and Resources, David Kemp, Minister for Education, Training and
Youth Affairs, and Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts, was tasked with overseeing the development of this
strategy and achieving an appropriate balance between competing priorities.
where we are today
In large measure, the
success of Backing Australia's Ability will be underpinned by the Commonwealth
Government's achievement in providing an economic climate in which innovation
can thrive. The fundamental economic reforms of recent years have created
a dynamic and competitive economic environment with high growth, low inflation
and high productivity environment-the right framework for innovation.
Economic growth has
averaged 31/2 per cent over the last decade and over 41/2 per cent in the
last three financial years, while the average rate of inflation in the 1990s
was 21/4 per cent. Australia's recent strong economic growth has been underpinned
by impressive employment and productivity performances - the result of pursuing
sound macro?economic policies and undertaking a comprehensive range of structural
reforms in both product and labour markets.
The OECD and the US
Federal Reserve have found Australia's productivity performance to be particularly
impressive. For example, the OECD identified Australia as one of only six
OECD economies to have raised its trend real per capita growth rate in the
1990s.
The Government has introduced
a range of tax reforms that provide Australia with an internationally competitive
tax system. From 1 July 2001, Australia's company tax rate will be one of
the lowest rates in the region and the goods and services tax (GST) has
replaced an inefficient and multi-layered indirect taxation system.
The new capital gains
tax (CGT) system will encourage entrepreneurial behaviour (including risk
taking), improve the incentives to save and invest and increase the ability
of start-up and innovative enterprises to attract and manage capital. In
the year following the introduction of these reforms, nearly twice as much
venture capital was invested in Australian companies.
Australia's workplace
relations reforms provide a flexible labour market with the capacity to
realise the benefits and opportunities of jobs in emerging industries while
improving the efficiency of more established industries. For example, the
increased focus on workplace agreements provides greater scope for employers
and employees to share the rewards of their firm's performance, encouraging
increased productivity and a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Australia has a world-class
financial sector regulatory framework, which is sound, secure, and sufficiently
flexible to keep pace with the rapidly changing global financial sector.
This regulatory framework is designed to support greater innovation, competition
and efficiency, while maintaining financial sector stability, integrity
and fairness.
Over the past few decades,
Australia has made a major transition to become one of the world's most
open economies. We have also introduced competition in key infrastructure
sectors, including telecommunications, formerly dominated by public monopoly
providers. This reform has delivered cost reductions for business through
increased efficiency and greater competitiveness.
Overall, these changes
have contributed to creating a high growth, high productivity, and low inflation
economy - the ideal climate for innovation. The economic outlook remains
very positive, with continued robust economic growth, inflation in check
and unemployment at its lowest rate in more than a decade.
our track record
Australian productivity,
competitiveness and innovative capacity have also been enhanced by direct
Federal Government support over recent years. The Government has provided
approximately $4.5 billion funding for innovation in 2000-01 alone. This
includes a record $2.7 billion for science, research and industry innovation
programs and $1.8 billion for higher education research and research training.
In addition this government has launched innovation programs targeted at
the ICT sector with a total value of $189 million.
The Innovation Investment
Fund (IIF), which was introduced to stimulate overseas and domestic early-stage
venture capital investment in new technology, is successfully attracting
significant amounts of new early stage capital for Australian companies.
A joint Industry-Government
investment of $1.5 billion made over the past five years through rural R&D
corporations maintains the place of Australia's primary industries as among
the best in the world. The Government's continued commitment to this Industry-Government
partnership will continue to strengthen our rural economy.
The Government supports the establishment and rapid growth of innovative
small and medium sized businesses in the ICT sector. Initiatives include:
the Building on IT Strengths (BITS) program, which supports incubator centres,
test-beds and advanced infrastructures; the IT Online (ITOL) program, which
encourages business to adopt e-commerce; the IT Skills Exchange which addresses
skills shortages and facilitates training; and the Software Engineering
Quality Centres program, which helps software developers improve their product
quality.
The Commonwealth is
also leading by example with the Government Online Strategy, which aims
to see all appropriate Commonwealth services online this year.
Other specific initiatives
have laid vital groundwork in developing new economy skills. The Government's
Investing for Growth (1997) statement introduced programs to boost the innovative
capacity of firms, as a key strategy to lift Australia's international competitiveness.
The implementation of the new funding and policy framework for higher education
research and research training announced in Knowledge and Innovation is
proceeding, with improvements in the quality of research training, more
strategic identification of research strengths and greater collaboration
between universities and industry already apparent.
The recommendations
contained within the Wills report Health and Medical Research Strategic
Review, along with the Government's 1999 decision to double base funding
for the NH&MRC by an additional $614m by 2005, will allow Australia
to build on its already strong reputation as a leader in health and medical
research.
our future
Backing Australia's
Ability has been developed with full understanding of our current strengths
and weaknesses, recognition of relevant national and international factors
and a comprehensive assessment of likely conditions in the future.
This strategy supports
the essential ingredients for a dynamic and productive innovation system.
It focuses on the Government's commitment to three key elements in the innovation
process:
- strengthening our
ability to generate ideas and undertake research;
- accelerating the
commercial application of these ideas; and
- developing and retaining
Australian skills.
The Government's strategy
builds on existing substantial Commonwealth support for innovation by boosting
funding to key areas and introducing significant new initiatives. Backing
Australia's Ability provides $2.9 billion of additional funding over 5 years,
with $159 million in the first year growing to $947 million in 2005-06.
It also identifies areas for ongoing review and future action.
strengthening
our ability to generate ideas and undertake research
A key aim of the strategy is to strengthen Australia's research capability,
to ensure the flow of new ideas which underpin innovation, to create critical
mass in leading research fields, and to build competitive advantage in ICT
and biotechnology.
The strategy provides
significant new investment in these areas including additional funding and
incentives to ensure Australia's research base-the backbone of the innovation
system-remains strong and internationally competitive.
Our R&D activity
will be strengthened with extra funding for research grants, enhanced research
infrastructure and facilities, and Centres of Excellence in ICT and biotechnology.
The Government is introducing significant incentives to stimulate increased
business investment in R&D. Initiatives include new tax concessions
to encourage companies to increase R&D efforts, a rebate to assist small
companies to undertake R&D and continued direct grant assistance.
Specific initiatives
include -
- To support internationally
competitive research, the Government will double funding over the next
5 years for the national competitive research grants administered by the
Australian Research Council (ARC). The extra $736 million will improve
the competitiveness of researchers' salaries and increase the support
available under the Discovery and Linkage elements of the grants program.
Emphasis will be on areas in which Australia enjoys, or wants to build,
a competitive advantage.
- To provide the infrastructure
needed to support project-funded research, the Government will provide
more than $337 million towards increased project-specific infrastructure
over the next five years. This will support ARC and National Health and
Medical Research Council grants.
- To upgrade the basic
infrastructure of universities, such as scientific and research equipment,
libraries and laboratory facilities, $246 million over the next five years
will be provided to fund the best infrastructure proposals from universities.
- To ensure Australia
participates in key emerging technologies, a total of $176 million will
be provided (with approximately half contributed from the ARC) over the
next five years to establish Centres of Excellence in ICT and biotechnology.
With strong industry participation, these centres will undertake world-class
R&D, focussing on commercialisation and encouraging spin-off companies.
- To provide researchers
with the most up-to-date equipment and facilities the Government will
provide $155 million towards establishing collaborative Major National
Research Facilities.
- To provide a significant
incentive for business to increase their R&D investment, the Government
has enhanced the R&D tax concession arrangements. In addition to the
existing 125 per cent R&D tax concession, companies that undertake
additional R&D will be able to access a premium rate of 175 per cent
on the additional investment. This premium targets the labour-related
components of R&D expenditure where the greatest benefits for the
whole economy occur.
In accordance with the
approach taken to business tax reform, effective-life write off will apply
to the Government's existing R&D tax concession scheme. This will simplify
the application of the scheme and provide a consistent treatment between
R&D plant and other capital items in the tax system. The Government
is also introducing changes to the definition of R&D.
Businesses will also be aware that in the coming months a final ATO ruling
may be promulgated, dealing with the application of the R&D concession
to experimental plant which is also used for production purposes.
The reform of the existing
R&D concession scheme will address possible negative effects of this
ruling on partial use of future plant, if it were to be promulgated. It
will allow future experimental plant which is also used for production purposes
to receive depreciation deductions at 125 per cent during the R&D phase.
This will ensure that the commercial realities surrounding the conduct of
R&D activities are dealt with more adequately.
Overall, it is estimated
that the Government's reform of the R&D tax concession scheme will cost
$115 million over five years.
OECD data indicate that
these changes will provide Australia with one of the best tax based R&D
support mechanisms of member countries.
- To help the cash
flow of small companies, the Government will introduce a tax rebate for
the R&D tax concession. Over five years, up to 1300 small companies
that are in tax loss will get early access to $30 million at a net cost
of $13 million.
- To support the hundreds
of companies where grant assistance is most appropriate the Government
will provide $535 million over five years to continue the START program
(which would have otherwise expired), as well as streamline the program
and make it easier to access to better meet the needs of business users.
accelerating
the commercial application of ideas
Backing Australia's Ability supports greater commercial application of research
results. In addition to direct support for R&D, the Government aims
to improve the flow of finance into business innovation and to stimulate
growth of innovative firms by improving Australia's capacity to commercialise
research and new technologies.
This will also be achieved
through initiatives to enhance Australia's capacity to build and manage
innovative enterprises, encourage the spin-off opportunities from industry
research collaboration, strengthen our intellectual property (IP) management
processes and increase access to global research and technologies.
Backing Australia's
Ability assists the greater commercial application of research from universities
and public sector research agencies, like the CSIRO, by strengthening the
commercial linkages with industry and making it easier to take promising
research to the stage of commercial viability.
Specific initiatives
include -
- To continue and enhance
the spin-off opportunities from industry research collaboration, the Government
will boost the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program by 80 per cent
over the next five years at a cost of $227 million. More flexibility will
also be incorporated so larger CRCs can be established and small and medium
enterprises are provided with greater access to the program.
- To provide early
assistance to firms by improving their commercialisation skills, the highly
successful Commercialising Emerging Technologies (COMET) Program will
be more than doubled in value, with an extra $40 million over four years.
- To ensure access
to the best overseas technology and science, the Government will provide
$100 million over the next five years for an Innovation Access Program.
The new program will enhance Australian firms' access to new technologies,
and accelerate the use of e-commerce business solutions, especially for
small and medium enterprises. It will also showcase Australian science
and technology overseas and develop international bilateral agreements
that support strategic science and technology.
- To help commercialise
public sector research the Government will provide $78.7 million over
the next five years as pre-seed funding. Assistance through the fund will
be available to universities and public sector research agencies to take
proposals to a venture capital ready stage.
- To encourage the
development of new biotechnology firms, the Government will double the
Biotechnology Innovation Fund, with an additional $20 million.
- To accelerate efforts
to improve Australia's performance in the development and commercialisation
of new agribusiness products, services and technologies, an additional
$21.7 million over five years will be committed to the New Industries
Development Program.
- To ensure that recent
changes to the tax system will encourage venture capital investment, the
Government will actively monitor the impacts of the new business tax arrangements,
in particular entity taxation, on domestic and overseas investment in
Australian venture capital.
- To ensure Australia
has a regulatory environment that allows us to maximise the outcomes of
innovation, the Government will develop regulation business advice tools
and review the regulatory framework to determine how it can be improved.
- To strengthen Australia's
IP protection system, the Government will continue to increase awareness
and understanding of IP-for example by developing an IP Internet portal,
improving IP management in public research agencies, and quickly implementing
IP reforms such as introducing a 'grace period' to the Patents Act and
acceding to the Madrid agreement regarding international registration
of trade marks.
developing
and retaining Australian skills
To be competitive
in today's world, Australia must develop its strong research base and encourage
further collaboration with the world's best. We need to continue to enhance
our own local expertise and skills, and to attract further overseas interest,
talent and investment.
Our well-educated and
culturally diverse society provides a rich environment for generating original
and groundbreaking ideas.
We can build further
on this by strengthening our skills base, and encouraging a wider interest
in science, mathematics and technology, through measures designed to excite
and retain Australian researchers, by attracting increased business support
and developing the next generation of innovators.
The Government's broad strategy in this area increases university places
in critical fields, supports ongoing skills development and enhanced science
and technology literacy, provides for increased access to online learning
opportunities, and further boost our skills base through immigration. New
Federation Fellowships will create new rewards and incentives for our leading
researchers to apply their talents in Australia.
The strategy addresses
the challenge to build Australia's capacity in key enabling technologies
(such as ICT and biotechnology), not only for the growth and employment
opportunities, but also so that Australia continues to be competitive in
rapidly changing global markets. The expanding global market for these technologies
is an engine for growth, providing jobs, rejuvenating traditional industries
and creating new ones.
Specific initiatives
include -
- To increase the number
of graduates in areas where Australia faces shortages, the Government
will provide $151 million over five years for an additional 2 000 university
places each year, with priority given to ICT, mathematics and science.
- To encourage lifelong
learning and to help Australians upgrade and acquire new skills, the Government
will establish an income-contingent loan scheme for postgraduate fee-paying
students. It is expected that the loans provided under this scheme will
amount to some $995 million over the next five years.
- To attract and retain
leading researchers in key positions, part of the new funds to be provided
for national competitive research grants will be used to introduce 25
new Federation Fellowships worth $225,000 a year for five years. In addition,
the number of Australian Postdoctoral Fellowships will be doubled from
55 to 110 and remuneration of these positions will be improved.
- To foster scientific,
mathematical and technological skills, develop school based innovation
and build supportive school environments, the Government will provide,
in those States where the Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment (EBA) is triggered,
an additional $130 million over four years to government schools.
- To enhance student
access to quality learning opportunities and provide experience of ICT
as a learning tool, $34 million over five years will be provided to help
develop online curriculum content in schools.
o To help meet the demand for ICT skills, the Government will adjust immigration
arrangements to attract more migrants with skills in ICT.
- To raise the understanding
of the importance and commercial potential of science and technology,
particularly amongst the young, $35 million will be provided over five
years to implement a National Innovation Awareness Strategy, including
the development of new ways to measure our national innovation performance.
going
forward
A high-level committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Minister for Industry,
Science and Resources, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology
and the Arts, the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs and
the Minister for Finance and Administration will be established to oversee
the implementation of Backing Australia's Ability, with an annual progress
report provided in the Science & Technology Budget Statement. The Chief
Scientist and relevant Government departments will provide advice to the
committee.
The achievement of outcomes
will be monitored through ongoing assessment of individual initiatives and
their use of funds through regular program reviews - for example, regular
review mechanisms exist for the Australian Research Council, the Cooperative
Research Centres program, the R&D Tax Concession and other innovation
outlay programs.
strategies
for longer-term outcomes
The initiatives outlined in this strategy address immediate priorities to
strengthen Australia's innovation capabilities. However, the Government
recognises that further reforms may be desirable to support these initiatives
in the longer-term.
As part of its ongoing
commitment to Backing Australia's Ability, the Ministerial Committee will
examine a number of areas to ensure that relevant policies provide the most
effective support for R&D, its commercial application and skills development.
Specific areas include
-
- To ensure that the
commercialisation of Government-funded research in Australia matches the
world's best, the Government will examine barriers to commercialisation,
and assess the effectiveness of current incentives. This will identify
where stronger incentives are needed, for example, to increase the development
of patents from scientific research by publicly funded institutions.
- To enhance the incentives
for employees to drive stronger business productivity and to encourage
start-up business activity, employee share ownership arrangements will
be examined. This responds to the Shared Endeavours: Inquiry into employee
share ownership in Australian enterprises report of by the House of Representatives
Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations, which
advocated extending employee share ownership schemes in small and medium
unlisted companies, and companies in sunrise and new industries.
- To ensure that talented
young people are attracted to teaching as a career, especially in the
fields of science and technology education, teaching and teacher education
will be reviewed, in consultation with State and Territory Governments.
- To ensure that funds
support the highest quality research, there will be a review of access
to Government-funded research by public sector research agencies.
- To develop the community's
understanding of, and support for, innovation to bring it in line with
our competitor countries, the Government will examine ways to increase
philanthropic support for innovation.
- To create a flexible
workforce which is responsive to changes, the Government will develop
strategies to support lifelong learning so Australian ideas and inventiveness
are nourished through continual updating of knowledge and skills.
- To encourage more
consumers and businesses to take up online technologies, the Government
will introduce measures that provide more equitable and affordable online
access.
The Prime Minister's
Science, Engineering and Innovation Council-the principal source of independent
advice to Government on science, engineering and innovation matters and
relevant aspects of education and training-will continue to contribute to
the future Innovation agenda.
accessing
the programs and further information
Fact Sheets highlighting features of the initiatives in Backing Australia's
Ability, including direct contacts for programs, can be obtained by contacting:
www.innovation.gov.au
The Department of Industry, Science and Resources
www.isr.gov.au
(+61) 02-6213-6000
The Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs
www.detya.gov.au
(+61) 02-6240-8111
The Department of Communication, Information Technology and the Arts
www.dcita.gov.au
(+61) 02-6271-1000
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia
www.affa.gov.au
(+61) 02-6272-3933
The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
www.immi.gov.au
(+61) 02-6264-1111
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