Government 2.0 Taskforce seeks ideas

Stuart Corner
Friday, 24 July 2009 06:48

IT Industry - Strategy

The Australian Government's Government 2.0 Taskforce has released an issues paper to solicit contributions to help it advise the Government on how to make best use of new Web 2.0 technologies.

The Taskforce (http://gov2.net.au ) - launched by the minister for finance and deregulation, Lindsay Tanner, and the Special Minister of State, senator Joe Ludwig June - has been is charged with finding ways of accelerating the development of Government 2.0 to help government consult, and where possible actively collaborate with the community, to open up government and to maximise access to publicly funded information through the use of Web 2.0 techniques.

It says it will do this "With recommendations for government policy and also by funding projects that offer promise in accelerating the coming of Government 2.0." It will look at the use of Web 2.0 both within government as well as in the government/public interface.

The issues paper identifies two key issues to be addressed: public information and digital engagement. On the question of public information it asks: "How can we build a culture within government which favours the disclosure of public sector information? What government information should be more freely available and what might be made of it?"

On digital engagement, it says: "What are the major obstacles to fostering a culture of online engagement within government and how can they be tackled? How can government capture the imagination of citizens to encourage participation in policy development and collaboration between citizens and government?"

Much of the document is devoted to discussions around how the OECD Principles for Public Sector Information can be realised. In April 2008 the OECD adopted the Recommendation of the OECD Council for enhanced access and more effective use of public sector information. The OECD recommended that member countries "in establishing or reviewing their policies regarding access and use of public sector information…take due account of and implement [the 13 principles] which provide a general framework for the wider and more effective use of public sector information and content and the generation of new uses from it."

The Taskforce says it intends to use these principles as a starting point for its work on public sector information. "Our focus then becomes how we realise those principles as fully as possible in the practical operations of government."

It is due to provide a final report on its activities to the minister for finance and deregulation and the cabinet secretary by the end of 2009.