It’s official, the former government’s Industry Precinct plan is dead and along with it the hope for a Tasmanian node of the Creative Digital Industries Partnership (CDIP). It did not help that the former Labor Government in its wisdom decided to delay the announcement of the CDIP until it was firmly into caretaker mode. As a result the CDIP was essentially a Labor election promise.

The announcement earlier this month of the Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme included the confirmation that the Precinct Programme, contentious as it was, would be disbanded before it even got off the ground. The existing precinct organisations will be dissolved, and as of Dec 2014 no further activities will be undertaken for the two sub elements of the Precincts Program, the Industry Collaboration Fund and the Industry Innovation Network. 

The Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme is Ian MacFarlane’s new shining light for Australian business development support. It is essentially a merger of Enterprise Connect, Commercialisation Australia and Ausindustry. One central digital contact point will be created to replace the current multitude of organisations and a raft of reforms will be aimed at better serving the business community. The curious use of the term “Entrepreneur” however is a little misleading as only a small part of the programme (Commercialising Ideas) will be aimed at start ups.

What does this mean for Tasmania? Well, we are in the hands of the Feds. But “off the record” discussions with Ausindustry and Enterprise Connect Tasmanian heads indicate that the current levels of service will be continued, and perhaps intensified. Let’s hope that is indeed the case.

More details here.