AIIA celebrated it's 30the Anniversary as the peak body for the Australian technology industry with a cocktail party for politicians and industry stakeholders on Wednesday last week.

Keynote speaker was Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband,communication and the Digital Economy. "I congratulate AIIA and its members on being an integral part of the 'ICT space' over the past 30 years," Senator Conroy said, "and I wish you continued success as you enter your 31st year."

"AIIA has been a key player in this area for many years, and I expect that in years to come we will be able to look back at significant further contributions this group has made to the digital world."

There has been massive change in the industry over the life of AIIA. 30 years ago, Information Technology was largely the domain of academia and large corporate companies, enabling new ways of storing data, processing complex calculations and writing documents.

Three decades on, and technology has transformed the way we live.  It has transformed not just the way we work, but how we get there, not just the way we shop but what we buy, not just how we spend our leisure time but how much leisure time we have, and not just the channels through which we communicate, but the ideas that we explore.

Digital literacy is essential for the modern student, with technology underpinning almost profession. 3.6% of the Australian workforce is now employed in ICT occupations, or around 380,000 workers. More than 100,000 new ICT jobs have been created in the in the past decade alone.

AIIA is proud to represent the ICT industry in Australia, and looks forward to working with members to meet the industry challenges of the future over the next 30 years.

The IT Fund for Kids ‘Putting IT Back’ campaign 2008 has a target to raise more than $600,000 and assist in connecting Australia’s seriously ill and autistic children. 

The environmental cost associated with carbon emissions will soon come at a price. Businesses and industry can no longer afford to ignore the impact of emissions on their organisation’s bottom line. It is clear that technology innovation will be a major factor in the improvement of energy efficiency at all levels of business and industry. The ICT Sustainable Futures Forum is an opportunity for every company to learn more about the role it will play into the future.