Challenges for gov 2.0 in the US - how many are mirrored in Australian government?

The Register has published an article, Google force feeds Web 2.0 to US gov, providing some key insights into challenges the US government is facing in implementing government 2.0 (or egovernment) initiatives - largely due to embedded policies and processes within legislation and the bureaucracy.

Some of these issues, and potentially other issues that do not apply in the US, have not been resolved in Australia either - generally they require significant whole-of-government co-ordination, consideration and support from political levels to address and resolve.

I think that this is one of the remaining barriers to greater use of the online channel in Australian government. The risks of not engaging online, in many cases, outweigh the political and bureaucratic risks of engaging. No-one wants to get their hand caught in the fridge.

So my challenge to readers of my blog is - what are you doing to help resolve the issues around online participation in government?

If you're a public servant are you engaging with your peers and educating your colleagues?

If you're outside of government, are you providing the evidence and support your government customers need to help them overcome these issues?

Are you willing to take a leadership role in driving Australian government's online success - or are you waiting for others to take the lead, and any potential blame - on your behalf?

It's not simply about earning a pay packet, it's about supporting Australia's evolving democratic processes into the future.