AUSTRALIA. ICA 36th CONFERENCE Singapore, October 2002 INTRODUCTION

Transcription

1 AUSTRALIA INTRODUCTION now has many world-class electronic services that are providing increased convenience for citizens and business and improved efficiency for government. Examples include the Business Entry Point website ( the n Taxation Office s etax Service ( the secure way for citizens to lodge their yearly income tax return over the internet; and the n JobSearch service ( which aims to give all job seekers the best possible access to the largest choice of jobs. We are now at a watershed. n government agencies are at the end of the first stage of government electronic service delivery, which mainly involved the migration of existing information services online. In this respect is like many other leading e-government countries, who are finding the next stage of information and service delivery, fully fledged e- government, more complex and harder than the first. E-government is characterised by putting more government services with transactional ability online, and doing so in a structured manner. This entails integrating related services, ensuring equitable and convenient access, and increasing the ways in which citizens can access government services and information. It is important to make sure that choice for the customer is not limited and that they can access government information and services however they choose whether through more traditional channels such as call centres or in the office, or via new and emerging digital devices such as personal computers, mobile phones, interactive televisions or new devices that merge these technologies. The idea of a single internet gateway to government will no longer serve as an adequate solution in this new environment. Why should citizens and businesses be forced to go through a government specific portal when they access other services they use via a different route? They should in fact be able to discover resources via any means they choose. More than this, it should be anticipated which services a citizen or business is likely to want in a given set of circumstances. Rather than just having services waiting to be used, some sort of software solution could be applied to anticipate and present services to a user based on information and services they have already accessed. Government service provision is thus individuated to the needs of each customer. E-government creates new interfaces between government and the community, and will transform public administration and drive new options for public sector reform. E-government also creates opportunities to align policies and programmes better, reduce duplication, improve policy development processes and revolutionise programme delivery. In our objective is to make the most of the opportunities e-government offers. 1

2 THE LAST 12 MONTHS Government Online Strategy goals achieved In the Investing for Growth Industry statement of 1997, the Prime Minister set a target for federal departments and agencies (referred to throughout as agencies ) to have all appropriate services online (via the internet) by December The Government Online Strategy, released in April 2000, helped guide and assist federal agencies work towards meeting this target. Agencies responded to the challenge of placing all appropriate services online. In February 2002 at the World Congress on Information Technology in Adelaide, the Prime Minister announced that the target had been met. Following the success of the government online phase, the n federal government is now preparing a new strategy to guide agencies to the next phase that of fully-fledged e- government. This strategy will be released later in the year and will address emerging issues which agencies need to consider when investing in technology to deliver services to citizens and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their administrative processes. Specific objectives of the strategy include delivering services that are responsive to client needs, integrating related services, building user trust and confidence and enhancing citizen engagement with government. Security s e-security National Agenda Statement was announced in September This statement makes it clear that the n government views information and electronic security as one of the key foundations for creating a secure and trusted e-commerce environment. The government s role in electronic security can be defined as filling an information void and working to create a culture of security across the economy. The government is acting to fill the information void and is working with vulnerable groups such as home users and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), providing them with tools to protect them from e-security threats. Several specific initiatives in e-security development in government are currently under way. These include the formation of a Business-Government Task Force for Critical Infrastructure protection and the development of an information program for SMEs and home computer users. Security specific initiatives Fedlink Establishing a secure online environment is critical to the operation of e-government. In the Fedlink network was established. It is a trusted, encrypted communications system for secure information transfer between federal agencies. Fedlink has now been assessed by 2

3 s Defence Signals Directorate as fit for purpose and capable of carrying traffic up to and including protected level, which is considered appropriate for most sensitive government information. An ongoing programme of activities to promote the uptake of Fedlink by agencies has been undertaken, including: developing an understanding among agency Chief Information Officers and Business Unit Managers of Fedlink s capability as a business tool to protect a wide range of data sources and types; and initiating the development of tools to assist agencies, particularly smaller agencies, meet the minimum security requirements for connecting to Fedlink. Business-Government Task Force on Critical Infrastructure The Prime Minister of announced the formation of the Business-Government Task Force on Critical Infrastructure on 7 November The aim of the Task Force is to promote a partnership between business and government to protect the integrity of the nation s critical infrastructure, in line with the government s strategic goal of creating a secure and trusted electronic operating environment for both the public and private sectors. The Task Force meeting in March 2002 brought together leaders from major industry sectors with representatives of the states and territories and federal agencies. It was jointly chaired by the Attorney-General s Department and the National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE). The Task Force made its report to the Prime Minister on 30 April 2002 and a progress report on its formation was made to the Leaders Summit on Terrorism and Trans-National Crime on 5 April The Task Force report can be read in full at The report recommends that the federal, state and territory governments, in some cases in consultation with the private sector, should: develop a strategic overview of risks to critical infrastructure build on existing mechanisms to ensure systems and procedures are in place to adequately protect the critical infrastructure build a learning network among the key public and private sector organisations to improve systematic, strategic responses to the security of the National Information Infrastructure review legislative frameworks for sharing information so as to facilitate the supply of information by business, ensure its confidentiality and exclude liabilities develop models of good critical infrastructure assurance, and examine ways to encourage investment in the security and resilience of critical infrastructure. Federal agencies are already working towards objectives that closely match the recommendations emerging from the meeting of this Task Force. 3

4 Trusting the internet In July 2002 an information guide entitled Trusting the Internet - A Guide for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) was released. This guide is aimed at helping n SMEs understand the key issues of internet security. Businesses need to be aware of security issues when they are browsing a website, sending s, conducting e-commerce transactions, dealing with government agencies online and conducting e-business activities. Authentication To increase confidence in transacting across the internet, it is vital to build trust in the online economy. It is an essential element in the provision of sophisticated online services. Agencies and their customers alike need to establish a degree of trust or confidence about the identity of parties to online transactions. To assist agencies with the authentication of external identities, Online authentication - a guide for government managers was released in July The guide provides government agencies with an understanding of the technologies available in order to assist them in selecting an appropriate authentication solution. For example, an authentication solution for businesses is the n Business Number - Digital Signature Certificate (ABN-DSC). This is a broad-use digital certificate, linked to an entity s n Business Number, which facilitates online service delivery and e-commerce. The idea is that a business should only need one identifier, the ABN-DSC, to transact with any government agency or any other n business. An important implementation of digital certificates is Project Angus - an authentication working group involving the major n banks. Its aim is to establish a framework for e- commerce trust and authentication for government and business using the international Identrus scheme. It has the potential to increase significantly the uptake of authentication technology by government and business. The government has decided that Project Angus digital certificates, issued by Project Angus members, are to be regarded as ABN-DSCs. Interoperability An important building block for future e-government developments, particularly in the area of cross-agency services, is interoperability the ability to transfer and use information across multiple organisations and systems. In May 2002, a draft Interoperability Framework for the Commonwealth Government was released for comment. It specifies technical standards that will enable federal government IT systems to exchange data when appropriate. It incorporates existing n standards (including metadata, privacy, security and authentication) wherever possible. The framework sets in place a consultative process to assist agencies in further developing policies and standards to promote interoperability. While the framework is still awaiting endorsement at this time, some agencies are already applying the open standards it recommends to improve their business processes. 4

5 To strengthen the government/industry relationship NOIE is working with Standards and industry to encourage take-up of e-commerce through interoperability. Industry stakeholders recognise that in order to achieve critical mass in e-business, requires a higher rate of engagement than economies such as the US, and that this necessitates a proactive and collaborative approach by both government and industry. NOIE, through its workshop on interoperability, is encouraging this type of approach and helping to create a viable online trading environment. In October 2001 NOIE published B2B e-commerce: Capturing Value Online, an independent assessment of contemporary developments in e-business. It identified interoperability as an issue affecting the growth of e-business in. E-procurement Federal agencies continue to implement e-procurement to improve the way they do business with their suppliers. The Commonwealth Electronic Procurement Implementation Strategy, April 2000, set two goals for Commonwealth agencies: to pay all suppliers electronically by the end of 2000, and to be able to trade electronically with all simple procurement suppliers that wished to do so, using open standards, by the end of Federal agencies have made considerable progress in implementing e-payment, with two-thirds of agencies paying most of their suppliers electronically. Most agencies have established e- procurement capability and are doing some online purchasing, mostly from a few major suppliers. In September 2001, the government announced funding of A$6.5 million as part of the Small Business Assistance package, to accelerate uptake of e-commerce by small business and facilitate online access to government purchasing. Half of the funding is for e-business programs for small business. The balance is to assist small business suppliers and agencies to trade electronically. NOIE is developing a range of activities and products to assist suppliers to trade electronically with government. These include helping selected small businesses to participate in proof-ofconcept e-procurement demonstrations with agencies, providing tailored guidance for suppliers to trade online with government, producing case studies highlighting small business adoption of e-procurement and identifying opportunities for co-operation between jurisdictions to engage suppliers. Portals The objective of the Customer Focussed Portals Framework is to help all ns access government information and services in an intuitive and easy way. The framework comprises a main entry point (australia.gov.au) through which a suite of portals developed around customer groupings and subject matter areas can be accessed. 5

6 .gov.au was launched in February 2002 at the World Congress on Information Technology in Adelaide,. The site currently provides convenient access to twelve portals. These portals are designed from a customer-centric perspective and cover a diverse range of customer groupings and subject matters from business to families. Under the framework, a further six portals are under development and will be available by the end of The portals as they currently exist represent only the first steps in the evolution from government online to e-government. Supplementing work done to date on portals, NOIE is continuing to consult with people who use the portals to ensure that the services they require are being delivered in ways which are easily accessible, meaningful and relevant to their needs. A detailed e-government benefits study is nearing completion, details of which are provided later in the report. TIGERS Trials in Innovative Government Electronic Regional Services (TIGERS) is a A$10 million program that develops prototypes and trials improved service delivery mechanisms for joint federal, state and local government services, over the counter, over the phone and online. Early program initiatives facilitated the delivery of federal government services in rural Tasmania through the Service Tasmania Shop network. The program s primary online objective has achieved trialing numerous next generation, online models and delivered seamlessly integrated cross-jurisdictional government services to the public. These include: Fish Online Starting School Exports Housing and services currently under development which concern retirement and land development applications. The program is moving to its final phase - to synthesise and share the knowledge, lessons learnt and intellectual property of the integrated service models with other jurisdictions and agencies. Knowledge toolkits will include governance and management approaches, integrated service opportunity identification, development and implementation of systems and use of innovative technologies. It is expected that an Integrated Systems Information Service about these and other lessons learnt will be available online later this year. Digital divide Access to computers and the internet and the ability to use this technology effectively to obtain information and services have become increasingly important for full participation in the economic, political and social life of ns. 6

7 As a whole, access to and use of the internet in is rapidly increasing. Statistics from NOIE s April 2002 Current State of Play show that 52% of n households are now connected to the internet and 72% of ns aged 16 years and over have access to the internet from some location, whether from home, work, an education facility, a friend s or family member s home or through a public internet facility. Nevertheless disparities in online access still exist. People on low incomes, without tertiary education, living in rural and remote areas, as well as people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, those with disabilities or people with a language background other than English are still less likely to have a home connection and to use the internet. However, government, community and corporate research and initiatives in this area are increasing the participation rates of disadvantaged groups and ongoing work is leading to an environment of greater empowerment by these groups in the uptake of technology. Online Council Digital Divide Forum The Online Council operates as the peak ministerial forum across federal, state and local governments in for consultation and co-ordination on the information economy. The Online Council Digital Divide Forum provides a platform for all jurisdictions to share information and experiences on the development and implementation of programs to address digital equity. The forum was established through the Online Council to promote the sharing of information, experience, research and evaluation of online uptake by disadvantaged groups and individuals and to develop greater inter-government co-operation on initiatives to increase the skills, access to tools and desire required to participate actively in s information economy. The forum first met in April 2002 and is comprised of state, local and federal representatives. A copy of the forum s terms of reference is available at Cisco Systems Digital Divide Cross Sector Working Group In October 2001, Cisco Systems convened a Digital Divide Cross Sector Working Group in an attempt to foster greater collaboration and shared learning around Digital Divide projects in. The working group consists of approximately 30 organisations from the corporate, community and government sectors. It is working to encourage collaboration on digital divide projects, and to create an ongoing forum for the exchange of ideas and for identifying new project opportunities to tackle digital exclusion in. The project is a six-month trial beginning June 2002 and is using an existing Digital Divide project clearinghouse - Digital Dividend ( - as a mechanism for exchanging information and stimulating project collaboration. The working group is looking for Digital Divide projects that: target disadvantaged groups require collaboration with other organisations 7

8 have the potential to be sustainable, replicable and scalable, and are able to demonstrate impact. EMERGING ISSUES Governance A key challenge for developing a government-wide ICT infrastructure is that funding for technology is currently provided on an agency-by-agency basis and for overall proposals that rarely identify ICT-specific components. The return on such investment does not always accrue to the spending agency. In other words, costs and benefits are not always aligned with the investor, and the timeframe for the return may be different. Investment for common or shared infrastructure requires a different approach. A federated approach to government ICT governance, architecture and investment is appropriate in the n environment. This means that when ICT investments are considered, the onus is on decision-makers to consider convergence of existing and planned systems and service channels. A federated approach may provide the desired level flexibility for government to deliver programs and services in ways that achieve set objectives and meet the needs and circumstances of citizens. For a federated approach to work, sound architecture principles are crucial. Principles and standards should encourage, not inhibit, the use of ICT to support business processes. The following principles apply to the n federal government: The decision-making framework needs a more strategic focus. Current ICT planning is agency based with limited focus on inter- and cross-agency requirements. Technology needs to be adaptable and appropriate to allow greater inter-agency cooperation and sharing which could ensure the widest possible uptake by agencies. In designing new systems, agencies should have the premise that information content may at some time be transferred across agency boundaries. Security and privacy of that information is paramount. A strategic focus is required for funding federal ICT. The current budgetary cycle approach favours short-term projects within agency environs and does not look at inter-agency communications. During the Information Technology Architecture and Governance (ITAG) group was established as a sub-committee of the Management Advisory Committee (MAC), the latter comprised of the heads of federal departments and key agencies. ITAG was formed to consider and guide development of governance and investment frameworks for ICT; consider ongoing governance structures; identify issues best handled at a whole-of-government level; and propose priorities on ICT matters that affect government. 8

9 The ITAG sub-committee was supported by several working groups which explored issues relating to integrated services delivery, secure business systems, and authentication of external clients. ITAG has developed a number of recommendations to the MAC focusing on a strategic approach that is underpinned by an innovative governance arrangement to guide decision making in a federated model, under which agencies would continue to manage their own ICT in terms of strategy, development, implementation and support. On 20 August 2002, the MAC endorsed a report submitted by ITAG on a new governance mechanism for information and communications technology (ICT) within government. This report was launched last week. The MAC also agreed to ITAG s recommendation for the establishment of a high level Information Management Strategy Committee (IMSC). The IMSC will oversee the work of a committee of Chief Information Officers from major ICT user agencies. NOIE will provide Secretariat support for both committees. It is expected that these committees will start operating after the official launch of this new policy framework outlined in the ITAG Sub Committee s report (in October 2002). The CIO Committee will identify strategic issues, address issues referred by the IMSC and develop options for the adoption and implementation of ICT at agency or whole-of-government level. This will include developing strategic architectures, standards and proposals for shared services. Through working groups, it will address specific issues and promote research and development, and knowledge sharing. Channel management Although the potential of the internet as an information and service delivery channel should not be underestimated, it is vital that citizens and business the customers of government are not limited in their choice as to how they access the services they need. A multi-channel distribution system is a key aspect of the vision for innovative e-government in. One challenge of handling multiple delivery channels is co-ordinating integrated services across a range of technologies. This is not unique to government. Broadcasters and banks, for example, face similar issues. In fact many service industries are dealing with this fundamental convergence change. The availability and increasing ease of use of the online channel creates the opportunity for existing service delivery processes to be rethought and remodelled. This is critical if efficiency objectives for government are to be realised. The alternative is merely to add another delivery channel and incur the additional cost. Synchronised policy, program, service and systems integration In, government ministers are increasingly being asked to work together across portfolio boundaries. A key success factor will be the ability to synchronise the integration of policy and program development and implementation with supporting ICT systems and 9

10 administrative processes to ensure that the full range of benefits is achieved in terms of convenience for citizens and efficiency and effectiveness for government. E-government skills Through the experience with implementing the Government Online strategy, it became clear that senior public sector executives are not always able to consider fully the strategic implications of e-government because they perceive that anything associated with it is a technical issue which should be dealt with by technical people. E-government initiatives need to be mainstreamed into the day-to-day business of agencies to be fully effective. For this reason, strategic e-government skills need to be part of senior public servants skills sets. This will equip senior officials with an extensive understanding of the opportunities of the internet to allow them to lead e-government initiatives successfully within and beyond their organisation. To that end, the federal government will be focusing on developing the strategic e-government skills of the senior echelons of the public sector. This initiative will be an element of the e- government strategy to be released later this year. Private-public sector partnerships Government agencies have moved away from the idea that they must retain sole responsibility for their services from development to delivery. Services may be better delivered through specialist service distribution channels, either government (like social security) or private sector (like claiming medical benefits at the doctor s office). The goal is to provide better services in the most efficient and cost effective way. These kinds of relationships are increasingly being seen on the government landscape, with government agencies realising the benefits to themselves and their customers of these partnerships, while private sector companies gain unique knowledge and expertise from developing innovative solutions for government agencies. This is a marked departure from the simple purchaser/provider relationship - the onus is on both parties to engage in partnership arrangements, in which not only is product and service development shared, but so too is the risk. Such public-private partnerships are important in helping ensure that the special needs of government are met, that private enterprises maintain viable revenue streams and that governments receive significant returns on their technology investments aimed at improving services to citizens, whether they be in the form of budgetary savings or improved delivery of outcomes, or ideally both. 10

11 E-democracy/closer citizen engagement New ICTs provide a great opportunity to ensure that citizens can be involved in policy debate and implementation. The OECD identifies three progressive levels at which government agencies can engage with citizens online: Information a basic precondition: the online provision of information is essential to inform citizens on policy issues. Policy consultation central to policy making: two-way communication, using the internet to complement existing forms of policy consultation. Active participation and dialogue a new frontier: this emerging area involves citizens in generating policy discussion and sharing agenda setting. n federal agencies regularly consult with their stakeholders in traditional ways (representative groups, peak bodies, academics and the community) with many agencies having developed their own consultation practices and protocols using existing guidelines (eg service charters, regulation impact statements). Most agencies now also provide detailed policy information online and most have some type of feedback facility for their website. While this is more for comment on the site itself, it is nonetheless an opportunity for citizens to engage with government on information and service provision. While there have been some instances of federal agencies using online consultation (see below), it is not yet an approach widely or consistently used across the jurisdiction. However, as online consultation becomes a more common tool for government agencies, there will be the need for a workable and consistent approach to facilitating online citizen engagement. NOIE is developing an online citizen engagement policy framework. The framework will be developed in close co-operation with government agencies and other key stakeholders. Electronic and internet voting are being considered but there are still some significant technical issues to overcome. The n Electoral Commission is investigating these forms of voting and has produced a major report available at: Current activities Some examples of online consultation, which go beyond information provision, are: i-consult Department of Transport and Regional Services The i-consult website is an internet-based prototype of a consultation information site, maintained by the Department of Transport and Regional Services. It is currently being trialed and it is expected that this process will last until at least February The main purpose of the site is to record community issues, priorities and outcomes of consultations and related events with a view to better-targeted federal government responses to 11

12 communities and regions. It is hoped that better planned and co-ordinated consultations will lead to a reduction in the number of community consultations undertaken and reduce community frustration at being over-consulted, matched by an improvement in processes and options. It is also a site to post key issues raised by communities during consultations, which will enable agencies to access relevant data for briefings, monitoring and evaluating programs. The information stored on the prototype is not restricted to consultations, but includes any information that may be relevant to the consultation process. Community Connect Centrelink Community Connect is a major change program conceived by Centrelink, s national service delivery agency for social security and other government payments and benefits. Centrelink has a national presence to service urban, regional and remote area needs. In many of the local areas, there are also non-government organisations (community providers) who work with citizens to achieve social and economic solution packages. Community Connect was initiated in response to demand from community providers and citizens for better and more convenient access to Centrelink information and expertise. Community Connect has three components: extension of selected staff services to authorised community providers (information), facilitation of shared services (consultation and participation), and empowerment of citizen controlled access (participation). Citizen controlled access involves empowering citizens to manage their personal data and control access to that data. Ultimately, citizens will have something akin to a personal data vault in which they can store whatever personal information they want, and grant or deny access to individual items in that vault to specific organisations. In the longer term, citizens should be able to track the progress of their solution packages and requests across community providers. Other features under consideration are the ability to solicit and collect feedback, ability to view reminders (eg appointments, next review point, obligations), online newsletters (including and internet site), and online value creation workshops. Currently consulting on - NOIE NOIE seeks public comment on a range of issues during the policy development process. Recent public consultations include seeking feedback on the recommendations of an interim report on the problem of spam in, and on the methodology of a study into the benefits of e-government. The benefits study also consulted through a link placed on government websites, enabling any interested person to contribute their views on online services for the purposes of the study. Measurement and analysis is undertaking an e-government benefits study which aims to gain a better understanding of users perceptions and needs associated with online service delivery by government. In particular the study is: 12

13 ascertaining current and future levels of demand identifying where benefits have been realised, and where they are likely to be realised in the future assessing past levels of return on investment (ROI), and establishing a benchmark return on investment model for future online service delivery. The study will provide an opportunity to ascertain the transformation that ICT has enabled for government service delivery. It will provide government with empirical data to support and enhance future e-government work and, more importantly, strategically target future online service initiatives. The study will also examine issues associated with return on investment. It will do so in a holistic manner taking account of not only financial aspects but more broadly including other impacts from the transformation through online service delivery. 13