OzHub, the Macquarie Telecom-led cloud computing alliance, has come down firmly on the side of Optus over the copyright controversy surrounding Optus TV Now, warning that any moves to change the law "risk branding Australia a global luddite state."
Google Australia arrived in Canberra this week, launching a government ‘best practice’ site and meeting with both sides of politics to brief them on 2.0 engagement tools for the public sector.
After a full day of engagements with politicians and staffers, Google
hosted a private function at Parliament House to launch the new site
with Stephen Conroy providing keynote duties.
Google Australia public policy chief Iarla Flynn said the site was
simply a guide to the tools and best practice for the public sector "to
reach, communicate and engage with their communities."
"It's great to see the growing momentum within the public sector to use
the web to reach their communities," Flynn told iTWire. “With tools and
tips for greater engagement and communication Google for the Public
Sector is a good place to start.”
It is understood Google representatives briefed politicians not just on
how its tools can used to deliver better Government, but also in
engaging with their constituents on a political level.
The site includes case studies, demonstrations, tips and best practice
guides for products ranging from YouTube to AdWords to Analytics, Apps
and News Alerts.
Since ACT senator Kate Lundy started pressing web technologies through
her Public Sphete digital engagement events, the Government 2.0 space
has gained extra momentum – and since the launch of the Gov 2.0
Taskforce in June has become fertile ground for the tech industry.
Google Australia has been a player in the political landscape,
launching the first election site in 2007 that included various mash-up
style applications. And Google clearly has an interest in encouraging
Government to embrace 2.0 technologies, and to make more of the data it
collects publicly available.
"Our view is that this information should be released quickly, in full,
in multiple (open) formats and leveraging available technology
solutions (for, example, sitemaps), under permissive and transparent
licence terms (like the Creative Commons licence), and generally for
free," Flynn wrote earlier this month, outlining Google’s response to
the Gov2.0 Taskforce issues paper.
"Government-held information should also be released primarily in raw
form. Government should not try to add value or create ‘retail’
consumer experiences – ‘wholesale’ release of data will be quicker,
cheaper and more effective."
Senator Conroy said Google had offered its strong support for the NBN
roll-out, and noted that the Google Australia headquarters in Sydney
could become a centre for innovation not just nationally, but on much
broader scale.
"(The NBN) will drive genuine competitive pressure in the
telecommunications sector, to the benefit of consumers and businesses
that use these services," Senator Conroy said.
"It will form the basis for a generation of innovators – the Googles of
tomorrow – and for businesses to drive efficiency and productivity
growth."
David Bass
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