One of the recommendations of the Gershon report was that the number of IT contractors be cut by 50% – replaced by full-time staff. Given the cost of contractors, it makes enormous sense to take this step. However, with virtually full employment in the IT industry, falling IT graduates and a lack of talented IT…
In August I analysed traffic to our agency’s website in July 2008 using Hitwise’s data measurement service, comparing our share of web traffic against the total to Federal government websites, other government websites and the top websites visited by Australians. The results provided me with a view of how important government websites are in peoples’ online lives –…
The Gershon Review of the Australian Government’s Use of Information and Communication Technology report has been released by the Department of Finance, and it makes for an interesting read.Peter Gershon’s key findings were that, 1. There is weak governance of pan-government issues related to ICT. 2. Agency governance mechanisms are weak in respect of their…
Some departments block them totally, others just monitor usage, is there a case for allowing or even supporting public social network use in government offices?The other day the Sydney Morning Herald published an article on The pain and potential of Facebook in the office where Nick Abrahams, a Deacons law firm partner provided his personal view…
I’ve been looking at the success of the Future Melbourne program, a wiki and blog based approach to shaping the future urban landscape of Australia’s second largest city. The program allowed citizens to directly collaborate, edit and comment on the plans for the future development of the city. It attracted more than 30,000 visits by…
I find egovernment an exciting area to work in. It offers benefits to citizens and businesses in reducing the time and cost of engaging with government It offers benefits to taxpayers due to the cost savings achievable within the public sector and the ability to improve transparency in government. It offers benefits to individuals and…
Considering the 30-40 nominations received in Australia’s annual egovernment awards, it’s staggering to consider than in the UK there were over 588 initiatives to be nominated in 2008. Judging is underway and finalists in 11 categories will be published on 7 November. If you’re seeking a source of inspiration regarding egovernment initiatives, the e-Government National…
Just as organisations are beginning to listen to the conversations about them on forums, in blogs and in online newspaper comments, Twitter has become a powerful and important mechanism for tracking US public opinion during the US Presidential election. In a custom-built application, Twitter has used its search and trending tools to build an updating…
AGIMO’s Australia.gov.au portal has received kudos recently from the US’s Government Technology publication in an article, Australia National Web Portal Links Citizens to Government Services. It’s good to see Australia’s achievements recognised overseas and I hope to see more of this as the AGOSP initiative rolls out some impressive new functionality into the site. I…
Recognising over 10 years of reporting on egovernment topics from around the world, Victoria’s eGovernment Resource Centre has been selected as one of the ten finalists for the 9th annual PoliticsOnline award for the top individuals, organisations and companies having the greatestimpact on the way the Internet is changing politics. By being in the top…
This archive mirrors the original eGov AU blog — Craig’s professional commentary on AI, digital government and technology in public life, running since 2006.
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