E-government aims to restore confidence

By RICHARD BRADDELL

The Government aims to be a better disciplined and more demanding client to technology vendors as a result of its e-government strategy.

Details of the strategy are still being worked through by the State Services Commission, which is currently recruiting a director to manage its e-government project.

A member of the commission's e-government unit, Russell Craig, told the Telecommunications Users conference in Auckland this week that one of the aims was to draw together a fragmented government back office that would provide better service - around the clock, seven days a week.

Mr Craig said the new e-government (he said the "e" was stupid and he hoped it would disappear over time as it became recognised that it was simply government) would result in more complexity for private-sector suppliers, who would face multi-agency contracts operated on shared platforms and open standards.

He emphasised that e-government was not a big information technology project, but one aimed at restoring trust and confidence in government which, globally, had been in decline.

"A successful e-government initiative will drive and depend on major cultural change in government. This change will depend on greater collaboration between agencies, between different arms of government, and between the public, private and voluntary sectors."

According to one source, officials working on the e-government strategy have shown a good understanding of the issues. But the source also said there was a risk they could be sidetracked by undue focus on "politically correct" concerns, such as Maori involvement.

Mr Craig noted that the Government had expanded the previous Government's e-vision to include more emphasis on social and community objectives.

While former Communications Minister Maurice Williamson had struggled as the only "geek" in cabinet to persuade colleagues of the importance of an e-strategy, there were two strong champions in the present cabinet in the form of IT Minister Paul Swain and State Services Minister Trevor Mallard.