It is encouraging to see the ways in which the Australian Public Service (APS) is seeking to reinvent itself in light of contemporary ideas and expectations of what government can and should be able to deliver. In fact there is sufficient investigation going on at the moment into the online space that there are even overlaps appearing in terms of work and timeframes between various projects.
Last week I went to the Government 2.0 road show in Perth, which was well attended and which produced some great ideas and innovative debate. I was dubious at first that such a town-hall style meeting would suit a technology debate, but it turned out to be just the right forum and reminded me that this is not all about tools, servers, and hot web design – it is about people, and helping them communicate better with those who really need to hear them. Standing face-to-face with members of the review committee certainly made me feel involved, and hearing from state public sector colleagues and members of the public was refreshing and invigorating. With people this smart and dedicated out there, I feel sure that things must change for the better, and soon.
That event was part of the ongoing work of the Government 2.0 Taskforce, which has released an issues paper seeking comment on ideas for better government and citizen engagement online. Take a look – there are links to other resources, and lively blog & comment threads to follow (and of course Twitter and Facebook integrations).
Today I have also just started to follow PSI MAC Project (PSInnovate) on Twitter, which is the feed from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, who are gathering public comment on ways to advance wider APS innovation.
This is a localised version of similar trends being investigated by governments from the UK to South Africa, the US, and also Singapore.
Go to their page here to read their discussion paper, make a submission, join one of several focus groups, or link through to other resources.
Also, following on from last year’s Gershon Review into the Commonwealth government’s use of ICT, the Department of Finance and Deregulation is pushing ahead with it’s recommendations that include a greater focus on delivering value-added projects, enhancing the APS career structure for ICT workers, and dismantling an ICT procurement model that saw hardware and contractor costs blow-out.
Some years ago a public sector worker explained to me how the government struggled to break the ‘hold of the mediocre’ – workers who hid behind bloated processes, misrepresented laws and policies, dragged out union-based bargaining, and manipulated weak managers. It was a bleak picture, and it made me stop and think about if this was an environment within which a meaningful, pro-active career could flourish.
Seeing these recent initiatives as detailed above, I’m reassured that the APS is indeed staffed with some of the brightest and most motivated people in the country who will move processes, democracy, and our economy forward. It can be tough at times, and the pace occasionally glacial, but as is often said:
if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
Bring on the solutions.
