Australia's Digital Content Cluster

In 2002, Australia's Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts and the National Office of the Information Economy conducted a preliminary analysis and mapping of the industries producing digital content and applications identifying the key enterprises, their location and productivity drivers and barriers.

The analysis concludes that there are large economic and cultural gains to be captured in digital content production and applications development. The wider information communications technology (ICT) industries need the content and applications industries in order to innovate new services and new ways for people to interact with information systems.

In turn, the content industries need the new vistas that digital forms provide. This will require new business models and ways of working, as well as new skills and infrastructures to support business management and collaborative work within the digital content and applications industries themselves.

The range of enterprises producing, or capable of producing, digital content and applications in Australia is large. It includes consumer products and services such as publishing, broadcasting, film and video services, the visual and performing arts and collecting institutions, and extends to services such as architecture, visual and industrial design, advertising and software development. It can be conducted in, and for, industries as diverse as health and education.

Download the report here.