Communications Minister David Cunliffe announced the public service had met the 2007 goal for e-government at Govis.
But hang on to your hats. Next stop 2010, when the "operation of government will be transformed as government agencies and their partners use technology to provide user-centred information and services and achieve joint outcomes".
Addressing the Govis conference in Wellington, Mr Cunliffe said the public service had been transformed from a "bloated and inflexible bureaucracy" where many employees had the same job for life, under the modernising influence of the Labour government.
He signalled that the Government had a continuing appetite to directly fund the roll-out of telecommunications infrastructure in support of government agencies and worthy causes.
Mr Cunliffe prodded mandarins to make use of the Government Shared Network, a high-speed alternative communications network being built by IBM that is designed to let agencies securely exchange e-mails and documents online and centrally store data. He questioned why, given the advantages, departments wouldn't volunteer to use it.
Mr Cunliffe said another nationwide fibre optic network that was initially designed to link universities and researchers, would be extended to connect schools, libraries and "innovative pre-commercial businesses".
Quelle/Source: Stuff, 14.05.2007
