Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today released a report into the Australian public service which said that the services' IT infrastructure needed to be overhauled.
Kevin Rudd
(Credit: PM's office)
The report, titled "Ahead of the Game — Blueprint for the Reform of Australian Government Administration", recommended a major overhaul of public service and information technology in the public sector, alongside other areas. The report was developed by an advisory group chaired by the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Terry Moran.
Rudd said in a statement that the government will consider the recommendations and will respond "later this year".
Commissioned in September 2009, the report recommended that an integrated information management system be developed and implemented to deliver reforms across government departments.
It also identified a skills gap in information and communications technology (ICT) in public services staff and called for more efficient public service IT funding.
IT changes were required because of an "explosion in internet use" that has "redefined the relationship between government and citizen", according to the report.
"The impact of changes in information management and technology has led to other demands such as the 24/7 response cycle and a requirement for the Australian Public Service (APS) to improve its knowledge and information management," it said.
Echoing an inquiry made to the Victorian government in 2008, the blueprint report also advocated a more open government and access to public sector information. This, it said, would be achieved through information technology advances and web 2.0. The report gave examples of online policy forums and blogs as ways for the Australian government to work with citizens.
"Today it is often more convenient for citizens to use online mechanisms to communicate their views to government. The blueprint recommends that the Australian government become more open and that public sector data be more widely available, consistent with privacy and secrecy laws," it said.
New information technology and data collection systems were needed, according to the document, which would begin a "change management task that should not be underestimated".
The advisory recommended that a service delivery portal complemented physical locations "where citizens can access multiple services". It also advocated better integration and partnering between "government, private and community sectors" through data sharing and online forms.
"Technology would be a key enabler of this recommendation. Agencies would need to work more collaboration in the design and implementation of services across government. Realistically it will take many years to a seamless service delivery. However, it is important to establish a mechanism to drive this forward," said the report.
Another recommendation was for business software to "automatically pre-fill forms" in order to "simplify business-to-government reporting".
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This is all very good stuff but it does bring up a question, what about the Gov 2.0 Taskforce report "Engage".
I worked on one of the projects, a video.gov.au scope, and there was another 18 or so great projects that produced great, sometimes profound, reports. These were distilled within the broader context of the wider report to government.
The Gov 2.0 TaskForce ended at the end of 09 and I have not seen or heard a word about what is to become of the report and if any recommendations will be acted upon.
Of course, I will need to look at the report to see if it references Gov 2.0. I hope it does. AGIMO did a great job with the Gov 2.0 project and it I think the government needs to be doing something about it (shout out to Kate Lundy)
Correct me if I am mistaken but did you just write this whole article without mentioning the web?
I find that just bizzare. I can not imagine how one can discuss declinging TV audiences without mentioning where they are heading.
Me think that the traditional ad industry really needs to get out more. They might arrange SWAT teams to go into random houses across the nation and gather intelligence. They could use heat detecting cameras from helicopters if banging down doors is seen as over the top
Either way, they will see the same thing. Often there will be the TV sitting on off in an empty loungeroom and the family huddled over their computers.
They are merely waiting for the web to hit the TV and that is then where they will go.
Yep, I can not believe that you could write this article without it being all about the carnage that is being created as the web takes over.
However, I am happy that you do. I hope that adland keeps missing the point. All the more for us digital folks :)
Jimi Bostock
PUSH Agency
Brisbane | Canberra | Sydney | Australia
jimi@pushagency.net
oops, sorry folks, pasted an old post text in with this, please ignore ... ooops, it's late after a big day
so, yes, it does veer off in a strange direction
Jimi Bostock
PUSH Agency
Brisbane | Canberra | Sydney | Australia
jimi@pushagency.net