Come to Australia and tap the A$100-billion Rs 4.5 lakh crore) market for information technology, says Mr David Holly, Australian Consul General for South India.

There are about two dozen Indian software companies with operations in Australia, but given the size of the market, the number is small, he says.

“I call up on more companies to set up operations in Australia and tap the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Holly said at a workshop on ‘Outsourcing and Offshoring opportunities' in Australia and the Asia-Pacific Region organised by the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce.

Backed by a “strong education sector”, Australia is becoming competitive in the IT sector, said Mr Subba Rao Varigonda, Managing Director, IPP Technologies Pty Ltd, Sydney. There are 30,300 ICT businesses in Australia generating revenue in excess of A$120 billion and employing around 300,000 people. In 2007-08, Australia's ICT export increased to $6.6 billion while import of ICT goods and services were $34 billion, he said.

Australia has a broadband penetration of 33 per cent compared with 20 per cent in Singapore; 23 per cent in the US and 26 per cent in the UK, he said.

Mr P.W.C. Davidar, Tamil Nadu Information Technology Secretary, said Tamil Nadu's biggest strength is the physical infrastructure and a good ecosystem consisting of industry, academia and the government. This makes the State an attractive destination for IT companies to set up their operations.

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