 |
Address by the Special Minister of State The Hon Gary Gray AO MP at the e-Government Forum, CeBIT Australia, 1 June 2011 |
| Source: |
Special Minister of State, http://www.smos.gov.au/speeches/2011/sp_010611.html |
| Source Date: |
Wednesday, June 01, 2011 |
| Focus: |
Electronic and Mobile Government, Citizen Engagement, Internet Governance
|
| Country: |
Australia |
| Created: |
Jun 06, 2011 |
|
I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the e-Government Forum here at CeBIT Australia.
Thank you Hannover Fairs Australia for your continued association with the Department of Finance and Deregulation;
And thank you AGIMO, for partnering to present this very successful Forum over the past five years.
I also thank my department for drafting these words.
The ability to meet, to network and to exchange ideas about ICT with industry and Government is important. It allows us to share our knowledge and understanding and to trade experiences and learnings from both our successful and less successful ventures.
ICT underpins everything government does - from ensuring the process of governing runs smoothly to constantly improving high quality services to people in the way they want, and expect.
If you don’t, you do not win electoral support.
ICT is fundamental to the business of Government.
A central focus of Government’s use of ICT is how best to use technology to deliver better services.
For example the use of mobile technologies such as tablet devices, notebooks and laptops by the Department of Human Services to provide much needed government services to those affected by recent disasters in Queensland.
The Department is demonstrating its capacity in this technology here today.
I note too the fantastic work of the Queensland Police in this space late in 2010 and early this year.
The extent that technology transforms business models in Government and industry is now widely accepted. It has given us substantial gains in productivity.
Access Economics’ report: Revitalising Australia’s Productivity Growth identified improvements in productivity arising from the use of intelligent technologies in the electricity, irrigation, health, transport and other sectors.
Similarly, a recent Telstra Productivity Indicator noted that ICT made the largest contribution to improved productivity in the top 300 Australian companies.
From my own work experience, I have seen the extent to which ICT has driven productivity gains in the government, medical research, banking and resource sectors.
Examples of better using technology in Government are on show in the Australian Government Pavilion, which I encourage you to visit.
For example, this year the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research is showcasing the ICT Supplier Advocate Program, which champions local small-to-medium enterprises in government ICT procurement;
This and other initiatives reveal how technology is achieving greater productivity in Government 2.0 through streamlined interaction both within Government; and between Government, people and businesses.
The Australian Government is committed to excellence in ICT.
Our commitment is underwritten in the 2011-12 Budget. The Government has again provided more than $1 billion in additional ICT investment.
This investment is targeted to best improve services to members of the public.
For example, reflecting the fact that a large part of its role is to interact directly with members of the public, the Department of Human Services receives a large proportion of the Australian Government’s financial investment in improved ICT.
These funds are used to deliver ongoing improvements to the way Government services such as Medicare, Family Tax benefits and Centrelink are delivered.
Significant investment has also seen other agencies, including the Department of Finance and Deregulation, progressing the “Tell Us Once” initiative to support further improvements in service delivery to members of the public that will make interaction with government agencies online more convenient and secure.
This level of investment in ICT has been recognised internationally.
Australia has consistently ranked among the top ten nations in e-Government in a number of international surveys over many years. As recently as 2010 Australia was ranked:
second in e-participation in both the United Nations’ e-Government Survey and the World Economic Forum Global IT Report;
fifth in online service delivery in the World Economic Forum Global IT Report; and
eighth in overall e-Government in the United Nations e-Government Survey.
The Gillard Government has a vision that is unreservedly bold
Our commitment to ICT excellence is demonstrated in the delivery of the National Broadband Network. The NBN will open up access to fast, reliable broadband to Australian homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.
Australia will harness the potential of the NBN to deliver savings to households, support the international competitiveness of Australian business and improve our health and education services.
But this is not a vision just about technology - or a vision just about the NBN. It is a vision in which the distance that previously defined our domestic and international relationships is rendered increasingly irrelevant.
It is a vision that Australia deserves and one that we believe, together, we can achieve.
The NBN will provide the crucial platform to allows us to extend the range of Government services that are able to be delivered anywhere in Australia through reliable, high speed broadband.
This provides Government with extraordinary opportunities to engage with citizens in meaningful ways, for example using high definition video conferencing.
People expect high quality, on demand and accessible Government services, just as they do from banks and the retail sector – and they will continue to compare the speed and quality of Government online services with those provided by industry and business.
Utilising the capacity of the NBN, people in rural and regional areas will have access to government services when, where and how it suits them. It will mean greater convenience in interacting with government online, instead of driving many kilometres to the nearest regional centre to visit a Government office.
Australians should be able to access services across government quickly, using the technology most available to them, whether that is through the internet from home, the phone or visiting a service shopfront at their local shopping centre or CBD.
Predicting the full extent of the opportunities that government will have as the NBN comes on stream is difficult today.
But planning for our broadband future is an important part of the work being undertaken by my colleague, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.
Yesterday, here at CeBIT, he launched the National Digital Economy Strategy.
The strategy aims to put Australia among the world’s leading digital economies by 2020.
By becoming a leading digital economy, we will
increase our productivity;
strengthen our global competitiveness;
improve our social wellbeing;
make a better future for all Australians; and
shrink our carbon footprint
The e-Government Forum today will focus on government service delivery anywhere and anytime, with particular reference to the government’s effective use of mobile platforms and social media in several recent emergency situations.
The Forum will look at innovative service delivery both planned and currently undertaken by Australian Government agencies.
It will explore the emerging trends, opportunities and challenges for Australia as a networked nation and consider how business, government and the community can keep pace with changes in high speed broadband, mobile technology and community expectations.
I look forward to considering the outcomes of your deliberations.
The Australian Government ICT Awards winners will be announced tonight and will be presented by my colleague Senator Kate Lundy.
The Awards will recognise and promote excellence, innovation and professionalism in the use of ICT across all levels of government.
We live in exciting times; the pace of change in the ICT environment is extraordinary.
The increasing use of consumer technology in business, mobile services, cloud computing and a constant array of new devices and products requires us to be creative in understanding and applying ICT in government.
The Australian Government’s use of ICT compares well with other developed countries and has provided better services for people and produced significant efficiency gains.
But it is time to raise the bar, to go to the next level by seeking to improve ICT’s contribution to productivity.
We need to leverage our solid base of achievement to put ICT to use in creatively delivering world’s best services for people and businesses, in supporting better engagement with the community and in improving the operations of government.
I thank you for being here and wish you well at the CeBIT e Government Forum 2011.
Thank you.
|
|
|