It's the Time for Giant Thinking

Western Australia has a choice: we can be a leader in the Indian Ocean rim and build thriving industries of innovation based on our strengths. We can fully embrace the digital world to create new companies, jobs and wealth for all. We can be an international benchmark for how an isolated region develops ecosystems of opportunity to benefit all West Australians.

Or we can do what we’ve always done — rely on the primary industries of mining and agriculture and fail to diversify our economy. We can continue to focus on exporting commodities when we must grow our exports of technology, knowledge and services. We can let other States attract new-economy start-ups, while knowing that risk-taking and innovation are in our DNA.

This is more an observation than a criticism of our current approach.

The Pilbara is rightly being touted as the Silicon Valley of global mining. South of Perth, Elon Musk’s radically progressive company Tesla has struck a three-year deal for battery-grade lithium that could see the south renamed Lithium Valley.

Our now vibrant city has a rich cultural sector, superb sporting facilities and a potent start-up economy. But WA can be more.

Too many times, WA has played it safe when it should have been bold. We have taken a single step forward when we should have bounded ahead.

This was evident through Perth Festival, which I chair, when then artistic director Jonathan Holloway presented his vision to bring the Giants to Perth. There was vehement opposition from some quarters: the Giants would be too risky, too costly, they’d cause endless traffic jams and parking chaos in the city.

Quite the opposite. The Giants were an extraordinary success: an audience of 1.4 million people flowed seamlessly in and out of the city, giving us a six-fold return on our investment. Hundreds of thousands of WA children were introduced to the arts, had their imaginations fired and were awe-struck by the spectacle.

The Giants showed that WA can deliver results on a prodigious scale. We need giant thinking for WA.

We must overcome the circumspection and self-doubt that curtails our public thinking. We need to be unified in our goals, not be ruptured by party politics and myopic discourse.

WA needs a shared vision for the future. Here’s my five-point plan:

We must make WA a super hub in the Indian Ocean region. We live in a region expected to house almost half the world’s population by 2050. WA can become a super hub servicing this opportunity by focusing on our core strengths. Fortunately, the Chief Scientist has identified five priority areas in which WA has an advantage: resources; agriculture and food; medicine; biodiversity; and, space exploration.

In positioning WA as a hub, we must not isolate regional WA. Our focus cannot be on Perth alone. But the $7 billion Royalties for Regions program targeted projects that will not deliver lasting economic and social outcomes. An integrated State Vision would see future regional investment directed into the super hub priorities and infrastructure that delivers advanced digital capabilities throughout WA. Digitalisation and the use of data should be a State priority. The super hub priorities will be fully exploited by building bigger, technology-based clusters of innovation.

As the industrial revolution 4.0 gathers pace, we need to turn our historical strengths in primary industries into new opportunities through the development of artificial intelligence, robotics and other advanced automation that will create new jobs and new exports. We must drive social innovation. WA should be internationally recognised for exploiting digitalisation to help the sick, aged and disadvantaged. As chairman of Anglicare WA, I see untold potential for technology to assist more people live better lives. The arts, a catalyst for creativity beyond the social sector, must be central to WA’s innovation strategy.

We cannot forget those impacted by change. As economies grow, so the wealth divide deepens. My work in artificial intelligence, strategy and governance is a constant reminder of coming labour-market disruption. We need to prepare now for this transition to ensure there are fulfilling jobs for current and future generations.

Only then will WA be able to capitalise on its giant future.

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? John Barrington is chairman of Perth Festival, Anglicare WA and the Curtin University School of Management Advisory Board.