NSW Sphere: Premier's Speech and your feedback

Penny Sharpe — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:28:48 -0600

We are currently getting the analytics, transcripts, video and wiki together from last Friday's NSW Public Sphere event. In the meantime here is the transcript of the Premier's speech. Thanks again to all who made the day such a success.

The Premier has asked me to work with the Department of Services, Technology and Adminstration to organise a further event to build on the outcomes from NSW Public Sphere. So what do you want - what should we cover? How can NSW build on the good work already happening? What should another event look like - who should be involved - what should the back channel look like? I need your input asap.

SPEECH BY PREMIER NATHAN REES: NSW PUBLIC SPHERE: GOVERNMENT 2.0
(check against delivery)
I'm delighted to be here today, and I want to start by congratulating Penny
Sharpe and her staff for the hard work that has gone into organising this event.

This is not only an important event in its own right. It is the precursor to a larger, whole-of-government forum that I have written asking Penny to convene in her capacity as a Parliamentary Secretary, to drive these ideas through the NSW Government.

We'll also make sure the full essence of today's discussions is captured using a
briefing paper, produced via a wiki. So this is very much a beginning, not just a one-off.
* * *
We're here today to talk about new solutions to a very old problem:
- how governments and their people can interact fairly
and effectively.
For most of human history, the answer was easy.
It was a one-way street:
- Government dictated
- The people obeyed.

Sadly, it's still that way in many countries today. Over the centuries, we in the developed or western world evolved the standards we all take for granted today.
The right to vote.
The right to protest.
A free media.

And in more recent decades, things like Freedom of Information laws and
Ombudsmen to handle public complaints. All those developments are historic and precious, and we should never lose sight of their value.

But today, one-way government can no longer cut it.

It's not enough to be able to express your opinion once every four years at
the ballot box. It's not enough to be able to write letters or petitions or hold rallies.
The game has changed - and it has changed forever.

A technological revolution has swept the world over the past 20 years.
Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype and live blogging don't just make it easier to download music, or keep into touch with your friends, or buy stuff from overseas.

Web 2.0 technologies are ‘tools for democracy' too. We saw that with Barack Obama's campaign last year. We saw it on the streets of Tehran in June.
And we're seeing it here today because people all over Australia - and maybe
even around the world - are following our discussion online through a video and
audio stream, via a live blog, and on Twitter.

Faced with possibilities like that, government can never be the same again.
The only question is whether political leaders will work with the technology,
or fight against it. For us in Australia, there can only be one answer. We must enlist these Web 2.0 technologies in the cause of democracy and freedom.

And that means changing the way we do business.

First, it means greater openness.And that in turn means governments have to overcome old habits of secrecy and control.That's a huge cultural change - something that will take years to accomplish. But we've got to begin the journey now.

Second, we've got to be interactive. The old one-way street style of politics has to go.
Government in the Web 2.0 era is about listening and responding.
It's a dialogue, not a monologue.

And I'm determined that the NSW Government will embrace Web 2.0 technologies in everything we do. There won't be one big-bang. Change will seep through every public sector agency. Ministers and Chief Executives will make it part of everyday life in government, not an added extra.

I've made a start by getting on Twitter and YouTube, plus having message boards for each region on our State Plan website. But Twitter is no use if you just tell people what you've had for breakfast. It has to be a forum for real issues and real problems.

Here's a small example that happened back in March. A few young entrepreneurs developed apps that allow people to check train times via their iPhone or mobile. RailCorp reacted by threatening legal action. Then one of the developers involved contacted me on Twitter, understandably upset at the wall of bureaucracy he confronted. I spoke to the Transport Minister and we couldn't find any reason to withhold the data, especially given that RailCorp doesn't offer an equivalent service and this information actually belongs to the people of NSW.

Like every good tale, there is a happy ending. After a bit of technical and legal work, I'm delighted to say a trial data feed started last Monday, with a full feed to start on September 21.

Even that's not the end of the story. As a result of that case, I've become determined that the NSW Government will do even more to improve public access to public data and encourage the community to develop creative new ways to use government information.
I've asked the public service to work on some ideas. But in the spirit of Web 2.0, that's not nearly enough. I also want to reach out to you in the blogosphere as well.

Today I want to launch a launch a competition looking for better ways to provide
information to the NSW public.
- "APPS for NSW".
This is a serious competition. We're offering prizes worth $100,000 for individuals and groups to create ideas and software that use government data for applications to be used on websites and devices like iPhones. The prizes will be judged by an expert panel.
There will also be a People's Choice Award and a chance for the best entry to go to a prototyping phase.

The competition will run for a three month period, with details available on the
apps4nsw website:
- information.nsw.gov.au/2009

This is all about making government data easy for everyone to use to solve
everyday problems. Anything we develop as a result of the competition will be licensed as open source and freely available to government and the public. These will be public apps for the common good. And that's what this whole thing is all about.

Giving new and deeper meaning to what Abraham Lincoln meant 146 years
ago when he spoke of: - government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Web 2.0 means there is no turning back. - Government will never be the same.
Digital democracy is here - and it's here to stay.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Thanks for letting me share the discussion today.
ENDS

Two years on – does my website work for you?

Penny Sharpe — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:54:19 -0600

In May 2007 I launched this website. Pennysharpe.com "aims to improve access, accountability and input into the little corner of democracy that is NSW". In the first month online I had 215 unique visitors, 383 visits and 911 page views. This has steadily grown to to 890 unique visitors, 1044 visits and 1651 page views per month.

The website is built around my enewsletter Red Leather. Red Leather has had 57 editions and is sent to over 2000 people every fortnight. It reaches many more.

In the past 2 years I have also become quite addicted to social networking through Facebook (374 friends) and Twitter (103 followers). I have a basic presence on youtube, bebo and myspace. This is a new way to engage with people and has provided another way for them to raise issues and seek my assistance.

Two years ago my aims for the website were to be informative, transparent, action focussed, provide a two way dialogue and be willing to try new things (and possibly fail).

How do you think it's working?

What's worked: The site has provided an example of how MP's can work online at a time when only a minority have engaged in the potential of Web 2.0. The site has also provided:

a one stop shop for government announcements
regular updates about what I have been working on and the issues I am pursuing within and outside government
a place for community campaigns to get a wider audience for their causes and events
an opportunity for two way interaction with me and my work

What hasn't worked: The blog started as being unmoderated but a combination of spam and defamatory and offensive posts saw it quickly become moderated. The number of comments has been very small. There are a number of reasons but I suspect that this is because:

the amount of time I am able to spend on detailed blogs has reduced as I have taken on more roles in government
the time I am able to spend in the blogosphere and participating in the debates is limited
the issues I am working on as a government member I am not able to air publically
the traffic on my site and the irregular blogs are too low to sustain a day by day discussion
Facebook and Twitter are new places where debate is occuring and these are easier than just blogging
the discipline of being a government member requires not posting the controversial material that would bring more traffic to the site
maybe it's too boring

Do you think that there are other reasons? Let me know.

I had also hoped to run occasional online forums but found them very time intensive to get up and running for the numbers of people who would participate. This is something I may revisit.

What I'd like to do more of: Participate in the blogosphere, blog on issues broader than government announcements, build an online community interested in the human services across government that could input into government decision making.

What would you like me to do more of? What would you be interested in discussing online with me as an MP?

Leave your comment here - or just email me direct.

Thanks