Published on the 10/11/2015 | Written by Beverley Head

The Victorian State government will launch its $60 million start up fund by the end of the month, bent on attracting more technology companies to the State…

Victorian Innovation and trade minister Philip Dalidakis, speaking at an event at Motorola Solutions this week, said that the fund was intended to support accelerators, incubators and to promote co-location of technology companies.

The State had a win this week with the announcement that software company Zendesk was setting up its regional tech hub in Melbourne, and could generate up to 175 jobs over the next three years. The company has had a Melbourne office since 2011, and has a team of 70 in place already.

Dalidakis said that the arrangement with Zendesk; “Means we can grow the skills across the whole of the industry and grow a critical mass.”

Having access to skills was critical he said because “We can invest in companies but if the right people are not here in Melbourne it’s all to no avail.”

While both Sydney and Melbourne host a slab of the technology sector, Sydney has had most of the recent spotlight, particularly in the area of fintech with the Stone and Chalk hub and Tyro FinTechHub choosing the city for their homes.

Minister Dalidakis, while keen to attract technology companies to Victoria, took a swipe at the Federal Government, particularly in terms of its approach to the national broadband network and the limits that now placed on start up businesses.

A former deputy chief of staff to Senator Conroy, who championed a fibre to the premises national broadband network, Dalidakis is invested in that approach.

He said he was “Tremendously depressed about the state of fibre in Australia.”

“Malcolm Turnbull as communications minister took Australia backwards 20 years as a result of what he has done with broadband.”

While Turnbull has gone onto higher office, now Prime Minister and championing an innovation agenda for Australia, Dalidakis said that “Politicians that want to talk the talk need to walk the walk.”

Dalidakis isn’t averse to a bit of talk himself though, promising that Victoria would introduce another new scheme shortly, modelled on a Harvard approach , which provided financial support to cover costs and wages that will allow academics to spend time in industry, and business people to spend time in academia. Exactly how much the Government will stump up, when the scheme will be introduced, or how it will operate has yet to be revealed.