Australian Technology Park (ATP) is a precinct in Inner City Sydney which is a technology and innovation hub. It is home to 100 resident technology firms providing over 5,500 jobs and research positions. It is also part of the local community - providing local jobs, support for community programs and high-quality campus services. ATP has been an integral part of the Australian technology industry. It is a hub for technology collaboration that is sorely needed in Australia.

Why we care about the fate of ATP
The fate of ATP is that it may be closed and sold to property developers. It would be either be turned into a business park or as apartment blocks. 

There are many of us who have worked hard to build Sydney and Australia as an innovative country. We believe that for Australia to progress as a nation we need to invest in technology companies and the use of technology. We have to transition away from our current export mix which is primarily producing raw materials. As we fall behind other countries in the innovation race, we will only experience a greater drain of our brightest minds and technology companies as they go overseas. We will become less competitive on a global level.

“There is symbolic power in having some sort of physical location in Sydney like New York has Roosevelt Island or London has Shoreditch, as a physical manifestation of the city’s commitment to the technology industry,” Mr Cannon-Brookes of Atlassian said. “What we’re saying to government is that a physical place is one plank in a broader set of initiatives they need to put together if they’re really committed to changing this stuff.”

History
In 1991, the creation of Australian Technology Park was announced. This was a bold initiative from Sydney’s leading universities to regenerate and re-use the largely vacant site as a technology and innovation hub. By 2000, management of the park had transferred to the NSW Government and transformation into a technology park was well underway. Today, the site has 100 companies, predominantly in the technology industry.

Atlassian bid to save ATP as a technology hub
Atlassian, one of Australia's leading technology companies is lobbying to keep the ATP as a technology hub. The NSW Government is preparing to sell the land to property developers. Atlassian has put in a joint bid with a property development company to be the anchor tenant. They also have commitments from other technology firms to relocate to ATP.

What you can do
Lets create a groundswell of support from the Australian startup community. We need to shift the government mindset from creating another business park to saving it as technology park. The Sydney Startup facebook group has 3,000 members alone. The Australian technology industry has 10's of thousands of members. By showing your support in this petition we can let our opinion be heard. We want ATP as a technology hub not a business park or new apartment block. We can back Atlassian's bid and show our support. Otherwise we will be taking a huge step back in the Australian technology industry.

Reference Articles

1. I'd write a large cheque - Atlassian Founder
2. Property Heavies jockey to win ATP
3. Stark Choice For Sydney as ATP bidding race narrows
4. Atlassian wins support for ATP Sydney vision, as decision hangs in balance
5. Ed Husic MP on keeping Australian Technology Park (ATP) as a tech hub
6. ‘Real money for the economy’: the $390 million hinging on the fate of the Australian Technology Park
7. Save Australian Technology Park As A Technology Hub
8. Why The Australian Technology Park In Sydney Is An Issue

More
This petition was created by Matthew Ho, Sydney Startups Facebook Group admin. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sydneystartups/.

You can find Matt on twitter @inspiredworlds. Use the hashtag #SaveATP when tweeting the petition.