Here we go again: another look at Australia's digital future

Stuart Corner
Friday, 19 December 2008 07:50

Opinion and Analysis

What worries me is that, from the information made available so far it is not at all clear what this upcoming Future Directions Paper aims to achieve. Will it have a vision of where Australia should be? Will it have a strategy to get there? Will it have a clear action plan with specific goals that are objective and can be measured?
 
If it is to be any use at all, it really should have these attributes, unless it merely a precursor to such a definitive document. And according to the department's web site, an action plan will indeed be part of it. Input from the community is sought to "identify the themes and suggestions that will inform the action plan of the future directions paper."

But the consultation draft itself gives no indication that the Future Directions Paper will set out any concrete objectives and the steps needed to achieve these. Rather its says that the Future Directions paper will: "describe the nature of the digital economy, the benefit it offers Australians and [will] include a series of case studies with examples of Australians using the Internet in innovative ways."

It will also "describe the respective roles of government, industry and other stakeholders in maximising these benefits and opportunities from the Australian Government's existing commitments to facilitate the digital economy."

When he released the consultation draft seeking input for the paper, Conroy said: " The Digital Economy Future Directions Paper will outline the opportunities and challenges posed by the digital economy and the potential roles of government, industry and others in ensuring Australia gains maximum benefit."

Mere description and outlining will get us nowhere. The consultation draft is full of highly pertinent questions and the answers to these will be important grist to the mill that grinds out the Future Directions Paper, but the Future Directions Paper as Conroy has described will be only a first step towards shaping Australia's digital future.