2006 e-Government Strategy, Responsive Government: A New Service Agenda
Foreword
It has been three years since the government released its 2002 e-government strategy, Better Services, Better Government.
In those three years, much has been done to achieve the vision outlined in that document, and there is no doubt that Australian citizens do now have “better services” and “better government”.
But more needs to be done.
Despite best efforts, the Australian Government’s application of information and communications technology (ICT) to enable the better delivery of services and better government administration – “e-government” – has been at times ad hoc and uncoordinated.
This is hardly surprising, given that the world of e-government is barely more than a decade old and is continually evolving and changing with the advent of new and more advanced information and communication technologies.
This Strategy attempts to deliver a more co-ordinated and citizen-driven focus to the government’s e-government initiatives.
Building on achievements to date, the Strategy sets ambitious and specific goals and targets, which, if achieved, will not only deliver further benefits to citizens, but will also result in cost savings for government.
E-government is about more than just applying ICT to government processes. It is about applying ICT to reform and improve government processes. Merely applying ICT to something does not make it better. But applying ICT, and reforming the accompanying business processes, does.
This Strategy is not an attempt to centralise e-government initiatives. Rather, it recognises that the devolved nature of the Australian Government presents specific challenges; challenges which must be dealt with through cooperation and sharing, based on a plan that aims to realise the potential of e-government.
I am confident this Strategy is such a plan, and I commend it to you.
THE HON GARY NAIRN MP
Special Minister of State
1. Introduction
Information and communications technology (ICT) is transforming the way government operates and the pace of change will only increase over the next few years. ICT advances can provide better service delivery, while at the same time improving efficiency and reducing the costs of government. Effectively harnessing ICT to achieve this goal is a significant challenge. This strategy, Responsive government—a new service agenda, outlines how the Australian Government will meet this challenge.
The broad agenda was set in 2002 in the initial e-government strategy, Better Services Better Government, which mapped out the move toward more comprehensive and integrated use of new technologies for government information, service delivery and administration.
In 2004, the government released its information economy policy document, Australia’s Strategic Framework for the Information Economy 2004 – 2006. It outlines a whole of government approach to maintaining Australia’s position as a leading information economy including a key strategic priority to ‘raise Australian public sector productivity, collaboration and accessibility through the effective use of information, knowledge and ICT’.
It is timely for this ambitious strategy to elaborate on that priority and chart how the government will build on progress in e-government to date and move forward towards the vision of a connected and responsive government by 2010. Activities will be in four main areas:
- meeting users’ needs
- establishing connected service delivery
- achieving value for money
- enhancing public sector capability.
Considerable work has already been done, with much of the ICT infrastructure and basic online services already in place and many on-the-ground successes. We are now moving into an era where the pace of change will accelerate through technology‑enabled transformation of the business of government.
The Special Minister of State, through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO), will oversee and coordinate implementation of this strategy and track progress towards the 2010 target, in consultation with the Information Management Strategy Committee (IMSC) and the Chief Information Officer Committee (CIOC). The Minister will also liaise with the states and territories through the Online and Communications Council (OCC) to ensure a fully national approach. The benefits will not only be more efficient services for both government and anyone interacting with government—implementing connected government will realise better services and better government, in other words, responsive government.
Contact for information on this page: estrategy@finance.gov.au