Australia ranked fourth behind the U.S., Canada and Sweden in total
population accessing the Internet last year, according to the latest report
from the National Office for the
Information Economy (NOIE).
‘The current state of play’ shows that Australia as a nation is well
placed to take advantage and benefit from the emerging digital information
economy.
“The [report] demonstrates a high rate of participation in the
information economy, however, this needs to be accelerated for Australia to
be internationally competitive,” said NOIE’s chief executive officer Dr
Paul Twomey.
The report reveals that in 1999 an estimated 36 per cent of Australia’s
total population accessed the Internet, and that by the end of last year 25
per cent of Australian homes were online. A further 700,000 homes with a
computer expressed an intention to connect within the next 12 months.
Data presented in the report incorporated a range of indicators
demonstrating three phases in Internet use – readiness, intensity and
impact. “The data demonstrates Australia’s relatively high ranking in terms
of Internet uptake and its readiness to leverage off developments in the
information economy,” said Dr Twomey.
“Also, the range of intensity indicators show that business in Australia
is beginning to embrace the Internet and incorporate it as an important
component of their business strategy,” he said.
The report also recorded figures relating to online shopping, domain
name registrations and telecommunications.