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The digital sector has the potential to make the Dubbo economy bloom but there are two barriers to growth, an independent expert has found. Professor Sam Austrin-Miner predicted the new economic frontier could be worth $300 million a year to the community as a whole. He reported signs of some sectors championing a move to digital and of difficulties with both "often unreliable" copper broadband and lack of training. The professor delivered the outlook after working with almost 100 interested representatives of business, government, education, health and other industries from Dubbo. His company, Attentive Consulting, was engaged by Dubbo City Council through Evocities to develop a strategy to help Dubbo maximize its potential and remain sustainable as the economy functioned on an increasingly global rather than local or even national level. A series of consultations and workshops held in early June as part of a four-month project to develop the Dubbo Digital Economy Strategy helped to determine just how much local people had already started to trade digitally. Although in general terms "digitization levels" appeared quite low, Professor Austrin-Miner found signs that digital championing and leadership were taking place in specific sectors. "We were really pleased with the commitment from the community and reached almost 100 people in the consultations and workshops, which was more than we'd expected," he said. The professor said there was a general view that as the National Broadband Network (NBN) was delivered, Dubbo needed to prepare economically and socially for the impact and positive change arising from the digital economy. "A number of key opportunities were recognized to further diversify the economy through, for example, the introduction of new industries such as data centre provision and software development, or even through preparing the city to create new sector support industries... that serve a larger region in the mining sector," Professor Austrin-Miner said. Two clear barriers to digitization were noted. They included the current levels of copper broadband service delivery, which is not uniform across the city and often unreliable, and the lack of training and support provided for businesses and other organisations on how to digitize. "Digital strategic planning and training that gives rise to actual transformation is essential," he said. The professor encouraged residents and businesses to complete a short online survey at dubbo.digitalevocity.com.au.

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