Dr. Owen K Cameron1

New Media & Policy – enhancing service delivery

Presentation to Government 2.0

“Policy and Practice”

Canberra June 22nd 2009

Dr. Owen K Cameron

Program Manager, CCRSPI

Coordinator, Primary Industry Adaptation Research Network

Email: owen.cameron@lwa.gov.au

ocameron@hotmail.com

Tel: 0428 – 400 - 928

Dr. Owen K Cameron

IMPACTS– Faster to identify and

communicate failures

over service deliver

–Easier to increase

“share of voice” for

accountability from

Government

–Media looking for new

stories, distributing

through new channels

A Changing Political Ecology of New Media

Quick example – protests over dam construction– Rio = Same concerns, common causes & policy issues over dams

–BBC Radio program : China, Brazil, Australia (Queensland), Japan

–More effective protest, more participation, more „reach‟

2

UNCED Rio 1992

Internet Fox CNN

Global

audience

Shared

awareness

Content on

Demand

Realise shared experiences

Communicate and share data

Dr. Owen K Cameron

Has led to a new state of accountability

Quick example – climate protests in City of London & Flickr– Global supply of content (from US) changed media reporting

–Official reporting clearly refuted, agents made to be accountable

3

CONTENT

CHANNEL

CCTV --- mobile phone video

Distribution via internet & Flickr

MEDIA

Content shifts analysis and

forces disclosure

STATE

CCTV

CITIZENS

Mobiles

Accountability

This enabled accountability is particularly important for NRM, where issues

operate across political cycles, jurisdictional and geophysical boundaries

Dr. Owen K Cameron

New ICT media further supports alignment

Focus on alignment can greatly enhance effective service delivery

4

Business

requirements

Functional

specifications Technical

architecture design

CORE

CONCEPT

NOT

NEW

Policy Design

Policy Implementation

Channel that best

meets consultation &

communication needs

Architecture to optimise cost

effective service delivery

Design

& deliver

ICT

strategy

New ICT media delivers many opportunities to innovate

Service /

Asset need

Preferred

Policy Option

Dr. Owen K Cameron

Need change thinking – ICT as enabling

Focus on how to use ICT to shape outcomes and outputs that

best deliver desired policy outcomes.

5

ICT Enabling Service Delivery for Government – three examples:

1. Monitoring & Planning - categories of land in Metropolitan areas

2. Commercial Innovation - micro-financing and mobile telephony

3. Organizational Design - corporate structure of Stat Authority

Where it can go wrong:

Outsourcing & Regulatory Frameworks – ICT path dependency

Dr. Owen K Cameron

Examples – Planning & Innovation

6

Monitoring and Planning Entrepreneurial Innovation

State Government Service Need

1. Urban land use supply via surveys

of residential and commercial land.

2. Data up to five years out of date.

3. Urgent need for more housing.

Enabling solution

1. GIS & custom algorithms to asses

shape of blocks.

2. Computer programs cross reference

with postcode and title data.

3. Estimate type of housing on blocks

with turn around overnight.

4. Up to date information on housing

availability supplied.

No internal desire to develop, so staff

set up their own company

African Community Service Need

1. Communities with little access to credit

& finance, limited ICT infrastructure.

2. Trying to start and operate businesses

over large distances.

Enabling solution

1.Wireless mobile telephony give “step

change” to ICT infrastructure (no longer

need for expensive fixed network).

2. E-commerce services over mobiles.

3. Micro-financing initiatives align with

this new delivery channel.

4. Enabled rapid growth in commercial

activity, diversity in service, products.

Initiatives supported by multilateral

organisations and corporate donors

Dr. Owen K Cameron

Examples – Organizational Design

7

Establishment of a new Statutory Authority in State Government

Service Need

1. Election year. Senior Government Ministers have publicly committed that a

new statutory authority will commence operations in five months.

2. Authority is to facilitate and expedite development in designated „Growth

Areas‟ through working closely with developers, councils and stakeholders.

Issues

1. State Government operates off Lotus Notes, Shared Services arrangement

(but no costing available for use of ICT architecture and support services).

2. New authority has limited budget, FMA requires proper budgeting.

3. Stakeholders have noted they are time and cash poor, and sceptical.

4. Planning applications are processor intensive, data outputs are large.

Enabling Solution

1. ICT design enables staff efficiency – high end computers, multiple printers

2. ICT design enables operational efficiency – high speed cabling, fast network

3. ICT design enables stakeholder buy-in – Outlook, bear interfacing costs

4. Authority opened on time with stakeholder buy in.

Dr. Owen K Cameron8

Conclusions

2. Must ensure design maintains relationship with stakeholders

Serious service delivery risks impact when lose control over

content and channel (ICT path dependency compromises delivery)

Quick example

Outsourcing Risk & Regulatory Frameworks – international

regulatory frameworks and shareholder communication in the Oil

& Gas sector

1. Effective alignment to deliver services needs appropriate

consultation and communication as inputs to design:

• Pushing content = communication (Broadband in the Bush)

• Not everyone has time for access (Water Trading)