Worldwide web boosts Australian economy

Eden Estopace
25 Aug 2011
00:00
 
Public sector benefits
According to the report, the effective use of the Internet to deliver government services increases customer satisfaction, reduces costs and promotes innovation.
 
The Australian government has released a National Digital Economy Strategy in May, which envisions the country to become one of the world's leading digital economies by 2020, with 4 out of 5 Australians choosing to engage with the government online.
One of the case studies cited in the report was the use of cloud computing for cost reduction and implementing innovation. It was reported that the Department of Education and Training in New South Wales had already utilized this technology to provide  email services for students, and realized a 66% cost reduction.
 
Aside from education, healthcare was also seen as a key beneficiary of ICT-enabled services, especially in the area of closing the gap between rural and urban healthcare.
 
A partnership between the University of New England and the University of California's Irvine School of Medicine (UCI) will connect general practices in rural and regional communities with world class medical teaching institutions via fast broadband connections.
"The implementation of fast broadband across Australia means that these institutions will be able to share more life-saving information and techniques quickly and efficiently. The project represents a more efficient and cost-effective way to train doctors, nurses and allied health professionals for rural and regional communities," the report mentioned.
 
Lastly, the Internet was cited for providing emergency services and aid in disaster response. In 2011, the  Queensland Police used Facebook and Twitter to communicate urgent information to the public in the aftermath of floods and Cyclone Vasi.
 
"After the adoption of the online strategy, QPS estimated that about 70 % of its public relations efforts during the crises were proactive. With Facebook and Twitter, it was able to develop a direct connection with the general public. The agency's Facebook page became the de facto one-stop-shop for all of Australia and for journalists across a range of media around the world," the report said.
 
For this effort, Queensland Police Director of Media and Public Affairs Kym Charlton reportedly won the Gov 2.0 Innovator Award for leadership and innovative use of social media.

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