Footnote(s): (a) Year ending 30 June.
(b) Data unavailable for 1999 and have been interpolated. 2003-2008 estimates are post introduction of The New Tax System and may not be comparable with previous estimates.
The Internet is an important avenue for innovation in Australia. Business use of the Internet can streamline the ways in which firms deliver goods and services to customers, and can provide new opportunities for businesses to provide new services to clients.
The proportion of businesses with a web presence has continued to increase since the late 1990s. In 1997-98, less than one in ten (6%) businesses had web presence either on their own website or through that of another entity. This contrasts with figures for 2008-09 where 42% of all businesses had a web presence.
Larger businesses continue to be more likely to have a presence on the web. In 2008-09, 95% of businesses employing 200 people or more had a website or homepage compared with 31% of small businesses with fewer than five employees.
Although only a small proportion of businesses (27%) receive orders via the Internet or web, the likelihood of this being influenced by business size is less pronounced. In 2008-09, 24% of businesses with fewer than five employees received orders via the Internet or web compared with 36% of businesses with 200 or more employees. In part, this figure reflects the different industry sectors represented by small and big business.
Proportion of businesses with a website or homepage(a)(b)
Businesses with a website(a)(b)
Footnote(s): (a) Year ending 30 June. (b) Data unavailable for 1999 and have been interpolated. 2003-2008 estimates are post introduction of The New Tax System and may not be comparable with previous estimates.
Source(s): ABS Summary of IT Use and Innovation in Australian Business (cat. no. 8166.0); ABS Business Use of Information Technology (cat. no. 8129.0)