My main points were that government in Australia has largely been doing OK in the digital stakes, although talent is thinly spread and there is not a consistent level of expertise across agencies.
For example, the fourth computer in the world was built by CSIR, an agency in the Australian government, and the WA government was using the internet seven years before Facebook was created.
Yes things have changed enormously in the last ten years, however the use of digital is now well-embedded within the public sector, not only in Australia but also across a large proportion of the world.
The challenge is to keep improving, to focus on designing services for digital which are relevance, simple and easy to use for citizens and to become better at connecting – reusing what others have done and at sharing what agencies are doing.
At the end of the day, however, it is not about the technology – that’s simply an enabler – it’s about meeting agency goals.
So even when you feel your agency, or you, are a dinosaur, remember that dinosaurs can survive massive change – provided they are prepared to change themselves.
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