|
To:
Director, E-government Unit, State Services Commission
Thank
you for the opportunity to comment on the e-government strategy
revision. As suggested in your letter of 24 October our comments
address big picture issues, rather than matters of fine detail.
We
address 3 key issues below:
1. The mission of e-government
2.
The long-term goal outlined in the December 2001 strategy document
3.
The role of community information providers, such as CAB.
The
e-government mission
We
remain concerned that the Government’s mission is for the internet
to be the dominant means of enabling ready access to government
information, services and processes and that this does not adequately
consider the needs of people who do not have access to the internet,
or who do not want to access information this way.
This
has seen an intense focus by government agencies on how they implement
that mission; we consider that this has been at the expense of a
broader approach that considers options that meet the needs of all
people. We agree that e-government provides a useful option for
those people that wish to use the internet to relate to government,
but that e-government should not been seen by government and its
agencies as the dominant channel for government-citizen relationships.
Therefore we recommend that the mission be rewritten to reflect
that e-government is one option for people and that other
options are not made subordinate.
Long-term
goal – whole of government approach to information and services
The
December 2001 strategy document outlines “where e-government
is taking us?” and illustrates a four-phase model of the development
of e-government that seeks to shift from a ‘silo’ model
of government to a networked one.
This
model gives us a better understanding of the direction that the
government wants to take in relation to information and services.
However, the long-term goal seemingly remains focussed on internet
solutions and a broader approach and vision is missing. The Association
considers that the transformation phase (phase 4) needs to better
express what citizens want from their government; which is, that
government is more responsive to people through a variety of ways,
and that the government’s responsiveness is not simply reliant
on ‘e’ or internet-based solutions.
For
many people accessing information is about much more than words
on a screen – even if they have the skills, literacy and internet
access to enable them to use the e-government portal, they will
often have questions and concerns a computer cannot address, and
need support in accessing information.
More
than 60% of CAB’s 570,000 enquiries annually relate to government
information and services. This says to us that people use our services
because they want person-to-person contact. Often they have been
unable to access government directly or locally because many agencies
have closed their front line offices and are relying on call centres.
We remained concerned that the move towards e-government risks continuing
this trend and represents a further withdrawal of government from
the community.
While
e-government provides an important option for some people, we strongly
recommend that government take a strategic approach to broader aspects
of information access, including other ways people access information
from government, and the vital role community organisations such
as CAB play.
That
broader approach is touched on in the December 2001 strategy document,
but the Association strongly recommends that any revised strategy
give more weight and provide greater clarity on how the broader
approach will be implemented. For example, it would be useful for
any revised strategy to illustrate how the e-government strategy
relates to other “whole of government” initiatives.
Clarifying
the role of the community and voluntary sector
The
strategy makes brief comment of the role of the community and voluntary
sector in New Zealand society in creating and delivering e-government,
and with assisting New Zealanders across the digital divide.
We
believe that the government has not fully considered the role of
community and voluntary organisations within the e-government and
broader whole of government strategies. We acknowledge that the
E-government Unit has been working with a range of organisations,
including CAB. This involvement has been around specific e-government
projects, such as the portal and authentication.
The
community and voluntary sector needs clarity about what government
considers the role of the sector might be for e-government and whole
of government strategies more broadly, i.e. beyond specific projects.
The
Association considers that the role of the community and voluntary
sector is a strategic priority for e-government. We strongly recommend
that the e-government strategy address this issue as a matter of
priority, and suggest that it be written into the next strategy
document as a focus for the next twelve to eighteen months. For
your information, I have attached a copy of the Statement of Government
Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship: this
document outlines the Government’s vision for the relationship
and key principles that underpin the relationship.
|
![To see what social issues we are currently working on [through advocacy and media]](../../images/socialp.GIF){kind=small}
