OPENING ADDRESS | AUSTRALIAN DIGITAL ECONOMY CONFERENCE 2026
Wednesday 17 June 2026
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It is an honour to be here for the opening of Day 3 of the 2026 Digital Economy Conference.
For those I haven’t yet met, my name is Aaron Violi, and I am the Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy, Science, Innovation, Technology and Cyber Security.
While today is the final day of this conference, it is a particularly exciting day as today’s panel discussions will be exploring the topics that are currently rewriting our nation’s future – from artificial intelligence to digital assets, quantum technologies, digital infrastructure and the future of commerce.
The reality is, we meet at a profound point in our nation’s history. For decades, Australia’s economic story has been defined by what we could dig out of the ground or grow from our soil.
But today, the digital economy presents to us an opportunity to grow a future not defined by our geography, but by our ability to adopt technology, science and innovation and scale it through the digital economy. The digital sector is now Australia’s second-largest economic contributor behind mining.
And as someone who – prior to politics – left a stable corporate career to join a tech startup, I know that the best ideas are built from the ground up, not the top down.
Like many of the innovators in this room, I know what it’s like to accept a lower salary or stock options, betting your career that it will pay off one day.
That willingness to take a risk is exactly what Australia needs if we are going to lead in the next phase of the global digital economy.
For a long time, our nation has been a brilliant adopter of technology. We have a consumer market that is quick to embrace new apps, new platforms, and new ways of working. But the next era of economic growth will not reward passive consumption. It will reward the creators, the builders, and the founders.
Our great opportunity right now is to transition from a country that imports digital solutions to one that exports them to the world. We aren’t just a commodities superpower anymore; we have the intellectual capital and the entrepreneurial grit to be a digital superpower.
This starts with supporting innovation.
Ideas won’t make it off the drawing board when governments treat aspiration like an ATM.
The Albanese Government’s recent Capital Gains Tax Changes are an attack on the incentive to innovate. When government’s heavily tax that incentive, it becomes harder to attract global talent, it crushes employee share schemes, and it starves our ecosystem of vital capital.
There is a real risk that these changes will weaken startup investment and push founders, capital and talent offshore – at a time when we need it here more than ever.
It is our nation that will pay the price when our best ideas to drive productivity can’t get off the drawing board.
Like many in the sector, I want to see founders thrive here on home soil, where they stay to build a legacy, and where our nation reaps the productivity rewards of Australian-based innovation.
The Coalition and I know that it is the tech founders and risk-takers who will provide solutions to the challenges we face.
That is why we have announced we will repeal these Capital Gains Tax changes.
But this is just the start.
To be genuinely competitive on the global stage, we must also get the settings right when it comes to research, investment and capability.
As policymakers, it is our duty to ensure that Australian innovators have every opportunity.
We are a nation of brilliant minds, but if we are to be ‘first’ in the fields of the future, we must prioritise Australian science and our research and development.
I want to see innovators like those in this room spending less time on bureaucracy, paperwork, and compliance – and more time building the technology that will drive our nation’s productivity.
If our regulatory signals are confusing or wrapped in green and red tape, global capital will simply bypass our shores. We must create a predictable, attractive fiscal environment that welcomes international investment.
Equally critical is how we build our national capability. We cannot run a world-class digital economy without a world-class digital workforce. I have spoke in the past about the value of microcredentials, which offer the speed and flexibility to rapidly upskill workers in areas of high demand.
We must also ensure that our STEM education pathways are quality across regional and metropolitan Australia, ensuring that kids from the suburbs have the same pathways into a cyber security or quantum career as those from the CBD. If we don’t build this workforce capability, our digital growth will stall.
The role of government is not to pick winners or pretend it can predict the pace of technology. It is to get the settings right that enable our digital sector to thrive.
As a Coalition, our focus is on restoring Australian’s standard of living and protecting our way of life. And technology uptake will be a key drive to achieve these goals.
We know every Australian wants a secure job, higher wages and low inflation in our country.
The only way we can achieve these things is through sustainable productivity growth: and that will happen through technology.
It’s people like you, in this room here today – that can power our economy forward. And the opportunities are endless.
And while we can’t predict just how far artificial intelligence, digital assets or quantum might advance – we know it evolves quickly.
While the opportunities are endless, we must also address the risks.
As the Shadow Minister for Cyber Security, I am reminded every day that trust is the primary currency for the digital economy. If our citizens cannot trust that their personal data is secure, adoption stalls. If our businesses and critical infrastructure are not prepared for the ever-evolving cyber threats, our national and economic sovereignty is put at risk.
A secure digital economy is a prosperous one. Australia’s opportunity to define the next phase of our economy is sitting right in front of us. It is ours to take.
Let’s back the risk takers, support our innovators and make sure our best ideas don’t just stay on the drawing board, but are built, scaled and leading the world from down under.
A key part of maximising these opportunities is conversation and connection at events like this.
To finish, I’d like to thank Amy-Rose and the team at the Digital Economy Council of Australia for putting on this incredible conference bringing industry and innovators together for important discussions about the best pathway forward.
I trust that we will learn a lot from today’s panel discussions.
Thank you.