NATIONAL: Professor Roy Green's review of the textile, clothing and footwear
(TCF) industry continues to impact on government policy, over 12 months
after the review was completed.
A new federal government
initiative will implement a key recommendation from
Professor Green's 2008
review, namely to increase the collaboration of TCF
firms with each other
and with businesses outside of the sector.
Green noted in his
report last year that such collaboration would increase
the industry's
capacity for innovation.
Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr
said the new TCF Innovation Network
will establish and strengthen links
between TCF firms, researchers and
educational institutions, and that
industry members will have much to gain
from the new
resource.
"Collaboration really is key to innovation. This
network will link TCF firms
with the best ideas, experience and practice
from within and outside the
sector," he said in a
statement.
Central to the new TCF Innovation Network will be
a specialist TCF adviser
who will be charged with pursuing collaboration
opportunities.
The new network is part of the Rudd
government's $50 million a year
Enterprise Connect
initiative.
"For too long Australia's innovation system has
been held back by
fragmentation, duplication and a lack of co-ordination. It
was for these
reasons that the government established Enterprise Connect,"
Senator Carr
said.
"Eligible TCF businesses will have
access to the same services available to
Enterprise Connect clients. These
include free business reviews and
dollar-for-dollar tailored advisory
service grants up to $20,000 to
implement business review recommendations,"
Carr added.
The new TCF Innovation Network will be
established under the guidance of the
TCF Industries Innovation Council,
which is itself a relatively new body.
The TCF Industries Innovation Council
had its first formal meeting in
September 2009.
The
council is chaired by Textor Technologies director Phillip Butler, who
welcomed the announcement of the new network.
"The
council looks forward to developing a strong working relationship with
the
new network to foster TCF innovation.
"We have everything to
gain and nothing to lose from improving connections
across the business
spectrum," Butler said.
A date by which the new TCF
Innovation Network will be up and running has
not yet been revealed.