Gov 2.0 adoption in Australia gaining momentum

Australia is lagging behind the US and UK in the Gov 2.0 space, adoption is beginning to gain momentum, at least according to CEO of digital democracy company Delib, Chris Quigley.

Quigley, who recently launched the documentary Digital Democracy Down Under, says that Gov 2.0 in Australia has enabled more transparency in governance.

“There's a real sense of energy in the Australian Gov 2.0 space at the moment, with a lot of drive to use Web 2.0 technologies to create a more participative and transparent form of governance,” he says.

“As with all these things, it starts with small steps and will hopefully gain momentum.”

Quigley says Delib’s experience of working with Gov 2.0 clients in the US and UK drove the company to seek a fresh perspective on Gov 2.0.

“I've been working with governments in the UK and US in the last few years helping them achieve their Gov 2.0 goals, so I was interested to get an insight into what was happening in Australia,” he says.

“As a generalisation, I'd say that Australia is about one year behind the UK and two years behind the US.”

Despite being behind in some ways, Quigley says that Australia’s approach to Gov 2.0 mandates are more advanced than in other countries; the South Australian state government being one example of a government making organisation-wide Web 2.0 impact through its strategic plan.

“It was great to see the South Australian government embedding Web 2.0 strategies at the heart of their strategic plan, allowing citizens to [give] feedback online as well as via more traditional methods,” he says. “I think this provides a real insight into how things will work as standard in the future.”

Quigley says another standout performer was the Victorian Government because of its decision to drive Gov 2.0 adoption from the top. Victoria was recognised at last months 2011 Excellence in eGovernment Awards.

Quigley’s findings validate information from the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) which last month noted there has been mass adoption of Twitter and Facebook by government agencies.

Follow Lisa Banks on Twitter: @CapricaStar

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAu

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