|
|
|
Got feedback for Government 2.0 Taskforce?
|
|
|
|
The SME Tax Forum is an interactive online community hosted by the Tax Office. The aim of the Forum is to foster a stronger relationship between the Tax Office and Small and Medium business operators through working together to identify opportunities to make it easier to meet their tax and superannuation obligations and to reduce compliance costs. Suggestions and comments that have been put forward by business operators to date are already being used as an agent for positive change in the way the tax system is being administered. Members are able to participate in online discussions, Live Chats with senior Tax Office staff, vote in online polls, participate in online surveys and interact with other SMEs.
|
|
|
I list this under new ideas but its a established one that needs to continue and is in crisis at this time. In Hervey Bay we have had a group established of which I now coordinate, for over 10 years with funding that finished 5 years ago, it still battles on. Since June 2009 there has been NO FUNDING at all and this service which in a heavily populated area of retirees must continue. Its is a not for profit org. Myself and my great volunteers can only volunteer so many hours per week, we all use our own fuel and some assist 3 - 4 days a week so the dedication is extreme. If a class is to run we still have to pay the trainer and allow for rent and internet etc, and this year it has been very tight every for clients to pay a min amount.
Any work for the dole project also has ceased. We have for over 4 years trained the unemployed in web page design and other community not for profits received a free website they could not normally afford,this has been our only source of funds and with a very tight budget have even managed to keep the doors open.
The service is set up, rooms networked and we just need help to cover things like the rent etc. If we needed a photocopier or new equipment, we can go and get a grant, but necessities such as wages and every day expenses are not covered when it seems we don't come under a lot of grant opportunities.
With times as they are sponsors are also difficult to find.
|
|
|
Community Midwifery WA proposes for consideration a Maternity Care Database to enable expectant parents to make informed choices on where and with whom to give birth.
Outcome data on hospitals / maternity services across the nation is urgently required on rates of caesarean, interventions, breastfeeding, pain-relief (and what type), perinatal depression, and so on. Similar scorecards for individual maternity care professionals would also be invaluable to assist couples to choose an obstetrician, GP or midwife who is best suited to support their aspirations for birth.
Choosing a maternity care provider is the first decision parents make about the care of a child and yet data on where to access a ‘best practice’ service (compared to others) is not available. Expectant couples are effectively making ‘blind’ decisions and the fall-out from this is significant.
Achieving a natural birth in Australia has become a rare event. Women are increasingly having difficulties during pregnancy and birth not only physically but in terms of their mental health and well-being. Birth related post-traumatic shock, and depression – both before and after childbirth – is rising at an alarming rate. Although not on our turf, it is concerning to note that in Denmark 89% of women currently present with psychological problems during pregnancy or in the early postnatal period. A first step for Australia to take to avoid following this trend is for there to be greater transparency around key maternal and infant health outcomes by maternity care service. With such data expectant couples can begin to make more informed choices about their care and have real control over – and input into – this key life experience.
Coping with the maternity / parenting journey begins with being able to make responsible decisions during pregnancy and childbirth. Partnering with a maternity care provider who will respect a couple’s decisions and work with them to prepare well for a great birth, is the best possible way of achieving good outcomes and minimising the nation’s maternity health spend.
|
|
|
www.yourHealth.gov.au, operated by the Health Reform Taskforce in the Department of Health and Ageing, was developed to provide Australians with a way to contribute their stories, views and ideas regarding improving the Australian health system to the Government.
The website provides a single web 2.0 platform for online community consultation across three major reports on Health Reform, A Healthier Future For All Australians: the Final Report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission; Building a 21st Century Primary Health Care System: A Draft of Australia's First National Primary Health Care Strategy; and Australia: The Healthiest Country by 2020 – National Preventative Health Strategy.
Without the yourHealth website, there was no easy way to conduct a collective discussion with Australians, building on the three reports to collect community views across all areas of health reform.
The website is a benchmark in Australian Government consultation. Rather than offering a single engagement approach, yourHealth provides an integrated set of formal and informal consultation tools built on web 2.0 principles. This supports a ladder of community participation from simply reading and reflecting on the recommendations in the reports, sharing links with others, voting in quick polls and blog posts, responding with comments and views or telling their own health story. To encourage participation yourHealth uses online announcement tools including Twitter, RSS and email announcements, as well as cross-linking from other health-related sites.
The consultation tools have been developed by the Department to be reusable and extensible – a capability that will reduce future administrative burdens and streamline any further stakeholder or community engagements the Government or Department may wish to hold.
This type of innovative online community consultation capability has not previously existed within the Australia government and currently offers a unique internal capability for the Department.
|
|
|
I almost missed this one, because it's been mentioned a few times in the Taskforce materials. But it definitely deserves a nomination.
Pool (http://www.pool.org.au) is the ABC's online collaborative media space. It's doing an excellent job of bringing Web 2.0 and interactive creativity to the national broadcaster, opening up opportunities for members of the public to interact with and contribute to ABC programming, and really breaking down the one-way street mentality that dominates traditional broadcasting.
In particular, Pool's GenePool project (http://www.pool.org.au/genepool) is worth mentioning. It's released 40+ items from the ABC vault (themed around evolution and Darwin) for reuse and remixing by the Australian public. It's one of the few examples of public broadcasters worldwide giving the material they create back to the public who paid for it. So Pool definitely deserves to be applauded.
|
|
|
One of the problems that people keep bringing up is the fact that each department/governemnt body keeps re-inventing the wheel to a certain extent. Why not setup a code sharing site or project hosting site for the development of Government Applications.
As an example of such a project why don't we have a look at plonegov in the states. This is a shared project between multiple Local Government bodies with the stated aim of developing a standard intranet system that can be used across the board.
|
|
|
To support agencies in mapping data to geospatial references, let's provide a central site which any agency can use to geospatially identify its data.
This could start by drawing on all local, state and federal government geospatial reference materials, building a single national service independent of any mapping solution.
This should include all electorates, postcodes, placenames and geographic features - but to preserve privacy not go to individual address level.
It can then be extended through crowdsourcing placenames, as the Victorian government has been doing at VICNAMES (http://services.land.vic.gov.au/vicnames/).
The outcome would be a central service that agencies, not-for-profits and commercial providers can use when matching data with geospatial references, enabling standardisation across emergency and other services.
|
|
|
Often not for profit organisations have a need for community and corporate support of all kinds, not just monetary, but often by donating time and skills to help them grow. It would be terrific to have a data base of community members and corporate organisations who would like to be involved with not for profit organisations and on that data base to say how they could contribute. Particularly of interest would be some intergenerational links which help young people to learn and tap into the skills of older people. Or for those corporations who might like to adopt an organistion to assist.
|
|
|
Emergency Response
18 months ago Surf Life Saving NSW implemented a 24-7 emergency call out system to assist emergency services when a coastal emergency occurred outside of patrol hours or at an unpatrolled beach. Since the system was implemented lifesavers/lifeguards have responded to more than 280 call outs. From an emergency response perspective, Surf Life Saving NSW would gain a lot of benefit from a list and map of all carparks, picnic areas, campsites and beach accesses in NSW. This would also assist in disaster planning.
Weather Patterns
Surf Life Saving NSW could use Daily Weather Observations – and in particular wave height information - to cross reference against rescue and drowning statistics to determine if there are patterns. This would assist in preventative measures and surf education messages
Future Planning
From a future planning perspective, Surf Life Saving NSW would also benefit greatly from having access to tourism and population trends in regional areas along the NSW Coastline, including projected growth figures. This would ensure we can focus on recruiting lifesavers in the right areas and if necessary increasing the number of clubs or patrolling lifeguards in the state.
The information that would assist with our planning includes:
• Tourism and population trends in regional areas along the NSW Coastline
• Up to date projected growth figures
• Car count stats for all beaches in the state
• Beach user numbers for whole state
|
|
|
A current and up-to-date website that links to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data and analyses on women in Australia would be very useful for advancing women's empowerment, recording trends and identifying areas which need addressing. This information would be useful to government, business, and the community sector and could also promote women's achievements internationally. A mockup of such an initiative has been created at
http://www.leadershipforwomen.com.au/Experiment/status_of_women_in_australia.htm
This mockup site details which ABS datasets can be used to develop the information for each section relating to women. Having such information in one online place that is easily accessible, up-to-date and relevant enables the community to be informed, proactive and empowered to address issues related to women.
|
|
|
To build capability across government, there needs to be training courses available for public servants in how to evaluate, implement and manage effective Gov 2.0 initiatives.
Skill needs range from risk assessment, moderation and engagement principles, approach and tool evaluation again agency needs, reporting and issues management - plus more.
Perhaps the first step is to map the skills required, then develop programs appropriate to public sector needs.
|
|
|
Women’s Health Victoria would like to see the ‘Victorian Index of Women’s Health and Wellbeing Data’ (The Index – www.theindex.org.au) expanded to a national level.
The Index is run by Women’s Health Victoria to provide a gateway to Victorian women’s health data resources. The Index incorporates over 70 indicators of health and wellbeing relevant to a social model of health such as living arrangements, paid and unpaid work, violence against women and social connectedness. It acts as a gateway to various external reports, surveys, and other sources of quantitative data from Commonwealth and State government departments and institutes, university research departments, non-government organisations, independent research bodies and academic publications.
We want The Index to include data on all Australian women, not just those living in Victoria. Our website usage statistics show that demand and use of The Index goes beyond Victoria with a considerable proportion of users coming from other states in Australia. Although the website has been running for nearly two years and the infrastructure is in place, we can only do so much within our current funding limitations. We need more support to expand The Index to cover all Australian women. Making The Index national is vital in raising awareness and addressing health inequities for women across Australia.
|
|
|
Several submissions have shown concerns that Creative Commons licencing is potentially harmful. While there is work under way to broadly analyse the Intellectual Property barriers to open licencing, a specific statement about the real risks of open licenses to government information (if any) and how to still achieve openness despite them is required.
|
|
|
Young mums have a hard time when they have no support network around them, or no healthy role models. Becoming a mum can be a daunting task for anyone - sometimes the best educated and most successful professional finds it the hardest.
Statistics on the eating habits of our children show we need to make changes in how we feed our kids right from the start. We need to be changing ideas on how and what to feed our kids.
Research into how best to do that is inconclusive as far as I can see. One idea I have is to build a digital network (young mums are often too exhausted to leave the house) where other mums can give their ideas that have worked, and someone with training and experience can give guidance and mentoring. This could be advertised in the maternity wards.
Statistical data available could feed who is targeted and how they are targeted. There could even be the need to provide basic computer and internet connection to some young mums who wish to participate but are economically disadvantaged.
|
|
|
Well I'll start the ball rolling by nominating Pia Waugh and Senator Kate Lundy for their series of Publicsphere conferences.
The Publicsphere conferences have been a very interesting and to my mind successful experiment in participatory democracy. It has opened a new avenue for people to get involved in Policy development and has already shown the way for others (witness the NSWSphere event).
|
|
|
I simply cannot think of a better, more timely or better implemented example of Government 2.0. This concept- and the people behind it - embody both the spirit and reality of the natural evolution of the public's relationship to it's government. OpenAustralia.org is quite simply one of the most important innovations in democracy this country has seen in recent memory and totally deserves to be recognized.
|
|
|
The idea of social inclusion as both a descriptor and policy objective has and is becoming an important issue within social democratic states and development literature. In particular, significant work has been undertaken in the United Kingdom, The European Union and more recently Australia. It is Not for Profit (NP) agencies and Non Government Organisations (NGO) who have historically taken the lead in advocating for those who are marginalised or excluded.
Research and findings by NPs and NGOs have described in some detail the elements that can lead to exclusion such as poor health, disability, poor infrastructure and lack of transport. Social exclusion is clearly understood as a complex set of interactions rather than simple cause and affect. Often requiring an understanding of the problem at a neighbourhood level. It is within this complexity that the day to day stories of people and their neighbourhoods and communities and the meanings they ascribe to their lives in relation to the many excluding elements is overlooked. This is both an outcome of the way data is collected; top down, as well as and the belief by many in policy, government and business who ascribe to the idea that it is only the few who protest or are marginalised by with the term NIMBY (not in my backyard).
To overcome this significant problem we need to radically rethink how we gather community data, undertake planning and use existing data. I believe that we can use Information and Communication technologies (ICT) to facilitate the gathering of people’s individual stories and neighbourhood information. These stories and local information and knowledge can then integrate these with traditional planning data to build a richer and textured understanding of peoples lives. By enhancing understanding of people lives services could be planned and delivered in more appropriate ways to meet those communities and people most at risk.
I believe this could be achieved in 4 ways;
➢ Use mobile phone technology to allow residents to map their local communities and neighbourhoods. This could be done by taking photos or videos on camera phone, automatically geo-coding on the phone, and finally attaching tags both predefined and free text to image. This information could be them emailed to a web site where it could collated in real time. Such things as access to community by people with disabilities could be recorded eg steps and gutter, recording areas that are unsafe or dangerous because of lack of maintenance or infrastructure, state of schools or hospital infra structure and so forth.
➢ Develop and build community / regional data / knowledge repositories where the data and stories could be kept and analysed by existing regional bodies with assistance from peaks and made available free of charge to local NP, NGOs and Government agencies. Data from State, Territory and Commonwealth Governments and there agencies must be provided free of charge and in a form that can be used an integrated with local gathered data and stories to maximise the available knowledge. As part of this process there must be a rationalisation of ABS boundaries and government planning boundaries so as they are consistent in definition and scope to enhance data analysis and reduce cost and confusion.
➢ As part of local planning processes government agencies and others must use this data and provide inclusive deliberative planning processes where the community and others discuss the data, its meaning and reflect on how this could and must shape service delivery and accountability. The use of data and information and transparency in policy development and planning of services must be underpinned by reliable and accurate data and information and a commitment to engage with the citizen.
➢ NP and NGOs must be given ongoing and finical support to appropriately manage the ICT infrastructure and administrative needs to ensure they can both supply and use data and information to plan, deliver and review services appropriately.
The idea I have is not radical and nor technically difficult. Elements of this are currently underway around Australian and Internationally. What is essentially required is change of culture at Governmental and Service provider level, which understands and believes the citizen have valid stories to tell, and that these should be listened to. What this proposal does is seeks to use technology to enhance data gathering and analysis by using existing and pervasive technologies to develop a more responsive, transparent and better directed social care service system.
|
|
|
Similar to the UK Twitter Template for Government and the USAF counter-blogging model, the Australian government could tap into best practice initiatives within Australia and overseas to provide standard template documentation for some of the common requirements for government 2.0 initiatives.
This would include documentation such as blog moderation principles, twitter guidelines, forum management guidelines and guidelines around participation in third party systems.
These model documents could be referenced by any government agencies who wish to employ these strategies online.
Equally a guide to which social media tools to apply in which circumstances, similar to those developed by Bang the Table, would help government agencies engage appropriately and improve the probability of online success.
Even more innovatively - these documents could be produced through a wiki-based system - perhaps GovDex - tapping into the expertise that already exists across government.
This breaks down silos and streamlines the ability of departments to enter into Gov 2.0
The concept could be expanded over time to provide standardised documentation across many areas - HR policies, IT policies, Communications plans structures, and so on.
|
|
|
I'm taking this site at its word, and throwing out a raw concept --- this is mostly stream-of-consciousness and not fully thought through --- Brainstorming in fact.
It would be interesting to develop a site that allows targeted discussion on issues of policy. This would be a cross between a forum, a mailing-list, a wiki, and ultimately a collaborative faq.
This would allow a convener to post a specific matter of interest. This would kick-off a discussion thread, supporting both email and rss/web interaction. There would also need to be a revision controlled "response" page, edits to which would be injected, with supporting annotations and metadata into the thread for further discussion. Then by selecting from amongst these proposed "revision sets", a final draft-response would be able to generated; submitted for consensus sounding; and ultimately advanced to a final editing and polish before final publication.
This would support widespread, open collaboration; while, providing structure, focus, and process-support to help bring the discussion to a concrete result.
The final product would then be a question linked to a response annotated with the discussion, revision-sets, and edits that generated it.
Other features worth considering might include:
- Cross-linking support between discussions.
- Multiple non-authoritative illustrative drafts able to be generated by members.
- Metadata and Source feeds for use in external mashups.
|
|
|
data.gov.au - cathedral/warehouse/bazaar for stuctured, meaningful descriptions of government data sets and information about how to access them.
Machine readable metadata is made available in RDF based on standard Dublin Core/AGLS/AGRKMS vocabularies supported by standard SKOS/OWL ontologies.
This allows anybody to find, download, use and re-use data sets generated and held by the government by building APIs, conduct analysis and performing research.
|
|
|
I know that institutions such as NLA and ABC hold huge archives of recordings of Australian history - historical music, news coverage of significant events, oral history interviews and so on.
Here's the NLA talking about some of their audio recordings
http://www.nla.gov.au/fishtrout/
and here's some of the gems in the National Film and Sound ARchive
http://www.nfsa.gov.au/the_collection/
the USA has loads of their historical recordings available for display and re-use.
Here's heaps of old movie footage
http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger
here's heaps of old radio shows:
http://www.archive.org/details/oldtimeradio
These materials are fantastic for education, for artistic re-use, for sampling, for research... but all those uses are prevented or made much harder by keeping them locked away on cassettes and films in the vaults of institutions rather than available online.
|
|
|
We can look at the images that google maps holds, but we can't take them and make our own maps, just drop the odd "marker" on them. The government, however, various agencies, hold many maps that could be released for citizen re-use. Or they could even simply contribute useful information to the growing open-source projects out there such as Open Street Map, which have streetmaps that the public can use... http://www.openstreetmap.org/
However, our governments have more than just street data... why not maps of salinity, vegetation coverage, altitude and so on, all in a format that we can overlay on our existing maps?
|
|
|
This is a slightly harder one, but there is no one place anyone can go to find out what emergencies or issues are happening in my area, or in anywhere I might be heading.
The SA CFS site could be a starting point for this information:
http://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/news_media/current_incidents.jsp
Surely information could be gathered for all jurisdictions which could then be consolidated into a single feed, but this is just me thinking out loud.
|
|
|
This request is for all data relating to water management of the Murray Darling system, e.g.,
- rainfall
- inflows
- rivers flows at weirs and barrages
- water storage
- state entitlements
- historical data for all of the above
Note that the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MBDA) publishes stats on their web site (http://www.mdba.gov.au), e.g., water in storage (http://www.mdba.gov.au/water/waterinstorage), but does not publish the raw data in any machine readable form. Sorry, PDFs do NOT count!
|
|
|
The Idea: Centrelink to refer each new family with a child with a disability who registers for Carers Allowance to ACDNSW for access to an Information Guide.
Backgrd: The Association for Children with a Disability NSW ("ACDNSW") has developed a comprehensive information guide to support families caring for a child with a disability. It is available for free on-line or at a nominal cost in hard copy. It is unique in NSW and covers a range of issues including financial, legal, medical, therapies, respite and schooling. ACDNSW would like to see it made available to all families as soon as they become aware that their child has a disability.
Centrelink has a record of children with a disability in NSW by virtue of the Carers Allowance payment.
Outcome: Implementing this idea would be low cost to Centrelink, it would save Federal and State funding currently expended on case workers, and it would empower families.
|
| Displaying 1 - 25 of 203 Ideas |
|
|
Vote Up
Vote Down
Close