I’m at Media140 in Brisbane today on the panel Web 2.0 or Web too far? where six of us will be discussing how the internet can be used to “distort, misinform and distribute propaganda” and how we should use the web to democratise scientific knowledge. This is a key topic for governments as well. The…
We often talk about the professional values of the public service – honesty, integrity, respect, courtesy, care and responsibility. These professional values comprise a major part of the Australian Public Service’s (APS) Code of Conduct, and similarly are prominent in many public service codes and charters in Australia and around the world. They aim to…
As government increasingly digitalises, one of the hidden costs is the increase in electricity use by government computers and servers. More computers equals more power use, more cost and, ultimately, more strain on electrical generation across Australia. So a practical way for the government to prompt energy-efficiency, not only for the government itself but across…
After a fanfare opening around two years ago, the US government’s proposed budget cuts may force data.gov and seven other Gov 2.0 and data sharing websites to close down or dramatically curtail their activities. When first launched data.gov was the first national website for providing centralised access to government data in reusable formats. The website…
The Australian National Audit Office has just released a report ‘The Protection and Security of Electronic Information Held by Australian Government Agencies‘ based on a review of the approaches to information security by four agencies, the Office of Financial Management, ComSuper, Medicare Australia, and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Amongst other recommendations…
I remember the great demonstration of November 1997. A plea went out asking citizens to gather outside their leader’s home to protest about major problems with the system. They were requested to be peaceful and law-abiding, to simply chant slogans, drink beer and remove their clothes. This demonstration was to be in Ultima Online, a…
Microsoft has launched a website specifically designed to get organisations to stop using Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) and upgrade to newer browsers. The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown website has the stated goal of watching global use of IE6 drop below one percent, stating that, 10 years ago a browser was born. Its name was Internet…
Over the last two years we’ve seen a concerted effort by governments across Australia to increase the level of online engagement, debate and discussion involving public agencies. In 2009 the Government 2.0 Taskforce, commissioned by then Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner and chaired by Dr Nicholas Gruen, conducted a six month process of engaging public servants…
We’ve seen enormous movement towards the opening up of public access and permission to reuse government information in Australia over the last year, both at state and Commonwealth levels. However these attempts to improve transparency and increase the capability for information reuse shouldn’t be led by government alone. The public, media, commercial and not-for-profit sectors…
Last week the Commonwealth Bank received a panning for its new social media policy. Going beyond guidance for staff in their use of social media, the policy made it a requirements that Commonwealth Bank staff tell their managers about any negative comments about the bank they see online. The policy also required that staff do…
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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