What would an innovation systems approach to the creative, and especially the digital, content industries look like? This is important for two reasons: such an approach may open up dynamic and central policy territory which has been the preserve of science, engineering and technology (SET) worldwide; and it asks new questions, outside the domain of cultural support, which may precipitate a more holistic approach to the creative industries. This article draws on aspects of a report produced as part of the Australian government's Creative Industries Cluster Study, which outlined key elements of such a system. It focuses on the issues raised in looking at the role of key public institutions such as research agencies, educational and training bodies, including universities, government support agencies and others. We argue that these elements need to be greatly strengthened as well as challenged in terms of their orientation and their capacity to contribute to the innovation system.

a ustralia stands at the end of one policy era in communications and the beginning of another. Over a decade ago, in 1987, the then Cabinet X JLestablished a Structural Adjustment Committee which initiated a process of telecommunications and broadcasting review and reform that has taken the last decade to work through. Competition policy has driven the structural adjustment agenda. Now, more than a decade later and on the verge of a new century, it is opportune to draw a line in the shifting sands of industry change and to set an agenda for the next generation challenge of policy reform. This new agenda revolves around convergence and the challenges of structural adjustment within the emerging Information Economy.

A quarter of a century ago, Telstra's predecessor — Telecom Australia — attempted something that would be unthinkable in today's environment: it set out to provide a roadmap to the industry future 25 years ahead. Telecom 2000 fairly accurately predicted the major developments in technology, but was less successful in anticipating the changes in industry economics and structure, and the contest between market forces and the then-prevailing public utility model of service delivery. This article reviews the Telecom 2000 report and identifies the key challenges which remain to be addressed before Australia can capture the full benefits of the new digital era.

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he international symposium "Precincts, people and places -forging new partnerships" was organised by the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE) precinct initiative.The PACE precinct is a 1.7 hectare site adjoining the Princess Alexandra Hospital (one of Australia' s largest tertiary referral hospitals) and only 10 minutes walk from the St Lucia campus of UQ. The precinct will encompass the UQ School of Pharmacy and adjacent health-related commercial developments, the Translational Research Institute and BioPharmaceuticals Australia. The UQ School of Pharmacy will open in 2010, and other developments on the site will be phased in over the next 5 years. The location of the precinct offers an opportunity to explore innovative solutions to bioscience developments around translational research, health promotion and diseases prevention and the various forms of e-health platforms.A physical location does not, itself, ensure that those working around that precinct will interact -something else is required. While the PACE precinct offers a significant opportunity for health research innovation in that it links the universities, hospitals and medical research institutes with health industry developments, it is that "something else" we wished to debate in the "Precincts, people and places" symposium.Participants in the symposium were drawn from universities, research agencies and institutes, industry, government, and health service providers, and included architects and designers. Discussion sessions and panels were interspersed with provocations from speakers from the United States, United Kingdom and India. Transcripts of these contributions, videos of special presentations, and copies of selected presentation materials will be available on the PACE website. 1 Norman Swan, well known health journalist and commentator, moderated the symposium proceedings with energy and critical probing. Presentations from those working in health "precincts" in Australia, the UK, the US and India were interspersed with small group sessions and discussion. We are grateful for the table facilitators who helped crystallise the outcomes of the discussions.The symposium tackled the role of special precincts as productive hotspots and "living laboratories" for innovation, and examined the particular importance of precincts in the health system as a springboard and case study for discussion. Four broad challenges were identified.• How do we move beyond mere collocation to multi-party engagement and deep collaboration?• How do we better promote real innovation outcomes, and mark out a place for innovative precincts within the wider innovation system? 2 • How do we shape precincts that are "fit for purpose" in the 21st century and, in particular, how do we optimise across the physical and the virtual? What, for example, can really only be achieved by a faceto-face interaction and what can be done from a "virtual" perspective?• Within the health system, could we envisage a national effort similar in ambi...