Guest blogger – Penny Sharpe MLC

Gov 2.0 is the new buzz term for governments everywhere – what does that mean for NSW? New technologies have changed the way citizens connect and interact with their governments as well as how they connect and interact with each other. The rapid uptake of digital devices that are Internet enabled means that it is people who are driving the rapid exploration of these ideas by governments worldwide.

 

In the NSW context, Premier Nathan Rees put it firmly in a recent speech given to NSW Public Sphere: Gov 2.0.

“ We’re here today to talk about new solutions to a very old problem: − how governments and their people can interact fairly and effectively….one-way government can no longer cut it…The only question is whether political leaders will work with the technology, or fight against it.

And I’m determined that the NSW Government will embrace Web 2.0 technologies in everything we do. There won’t be one big-bang. Change will seep through every public sector agency. Ministers and Chief Executives will make it part of everyday life in government, not an added extra.

And that means changing the way we do business.”

Web 2.0 tools give individual representatives, government and public agencies the ability for genuine dialogue, the sharing of information and a way of sourcing ideas from our citizens.

The tools are cheap and relatively easy to use. They enable government to include more people in decision making. Government can ask how government, business, not for profits, communities and individuals can tackle the complex challenges that we collectively face.

New technologies are already changing the way government services are delivered.

In NSW, Gov 2.0 is developing in a number of ways.

Apps4NSW is a $100,000 competition that will open up public data to be used to develop digital applications for public use.

The opening up of public data will continue to occur across government and will be included on the NSW Data Catalogue .

The Catalogue is part of the open government agenda that also includes new Freedom of Information Laws and the establishment of a Government Information Officer.

The Premier has asked me to bring together people from the community, public agencies, businesses, the ICT sector, and the education sector to hold a Gov 2.0 event to help push Gov 2.0 through the NSW public sector. This will happen before the end of the year.

Across the NSW Government there are a number of initiatives that show what Gov 2.0 means in practice.

There are currently six MP’s who are running online community voting to help them decide how to allocate $300,000 worth of funding for community projects in their electorates.

Sebastian Chan and his team at the Powerhouse Museum are piloting about.nsw.gov.au, a site that will revolutionise the way citizens and tourists can access cultural information online.

New online community consultation is being undertaken through the development of the Bays Precinct on Sydney Harbour and the NSW State Plan.

The NSW Parliament is trialing online searchable video Hansard.

Individual MP’s are using websites, twitter and facebook in increasing numbers to connect and interact with citizens.

In my case I have run a blog and enewsletter for 4 years. My newsletter reaches 2000 people per fortnight, I have 477 friends on facebook and 482 followers on twitter. My website has grown from 200 unique visits a month to 2000 a month and growing.

Recently, via my blog I was able to collaboratively draft a motion that was passed unanimously by the Legislative Council about the need to support initiatives that close the digital divide.

Embracing new technology is not without risk. Issues that require attention include liability, copyright, privilege, access to technology, the personal/profession role within the social media space and privacy. There are of course many more.

But government's should not take a step back for fear of it all being too hard.

In the words of the Chair of the Brookings Institution Julius Genachowski:

“The fact is that we face great challenges as a nation right now, including health care, education, energy, and public safety. While the Internet alone will not provide a complete solution to any of them, it can and must play a critical role in solving each one…

…let us not forget that the open Internet enables much more than commerce. It is also an unprecedented platform for speech, democratic engagement, and a culture that prizes creative new ways of approaching old problems.”

The power of the connection of people through the Internet and rapid development of technology leaves me with great optimism about how technology is helping governments, in partnership with our citizen’s, tackle the challenges we face.

Penny Sharpe MLC, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport, Member of the NSW Legislative Council

Technorati Tags: gov 2.0,nsw public sphere,government,online

Comments

• Anonymous
  October 07, 2009
  Thanks for the info..