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At a time when the Australian Federal government is getting a lot of stick over its national internet filter and the privacy and freedom of speech issues surrounding it, the government has announced a trial of online policy consultation.Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said, “The Rudd Government understands the potential of digital innovation and is proud to be trialling the use of these platforms to engage with the Australian public. Given the enthusiastic uptake of online communications tools like blogging, it makes sense for Government to experiment with these new methods of engagement, particularly on a vital topic such as the future of our digital economy.”
The first of these will be the Digital Economy Blog, which the government says welcomes feedback on.
Independent research suggests that citizen and community engagement can make policy more practical and relevant. Governments everywhere are experimenting with Web 2.0 technologies. The potential for these technologies to facilitate and enhance direct and open exchanges between citizens and governments is immense, said Tanner.
Each of the online consultations has a different citizen focus and the trials are intended to test issues around registration, participation, levels of engagement, the use of blogs and ideas forums and different levels of moderation.
The trials will be conducted by agencies and monitored and evaluated by the Australian Government Information Management Office, which will report to the Government on the outcomes of the consultations and the effectiveness of draft online consultation guidance.
