I am delighted that one of my first jobs as the new Australian Government Chief Information Officer is to announce that the 2013 Excellence in eGovernment Awards, the Government 2.0 Innovator Award and the ICT Professional of the Year Award (the Awards) open for nominations from today.
Technology continues to transform the way we do business, and for government, this is particularly evident in how we engage with the community. A couple of years ago we might not have expected that we would rely so strongly on technology. But past winners of these Awards have shown us how quickly things can change – we now have SMS, APPs, and websites, to provide us with the most up to date emergency information – to let us know what is happening in our communities and to let us know what we should do to take us out of harm’s way.
Unfortunately, in Australia we have become all too familiar with natural disasters. Fortunately, we also have a great culture of helping one another, of sharing and learning from one another. This happens with technology too. The Queensland Police and the Country Fire Authority in Victoria have shared their expertise in the use of social media in emergency situations and what would we do without last year’s Excellence in eGovernment Award winner the Bureau of Meteorology and their great forecast and warning systems.
By sharing what they have been doing, these agencies have not only helped others, they set an example of how others can improve to provide a better service for all Australians. So please consider sharing what you’ve been doing, think about nominating for this year’s Awards and help us to identify and share your innovative ideas with government agencies across the country.
Nominations close at 6.00 pm (AESDT) on Tuesday 5 March 2013.