Education Network Australia

[ARTHUR,Evan(EA0018)]

Recent messages have focussed on the consultation processes associated with 
the development of the Education Network Australia initiative.   The 
following information is offered to supplement that provided by Graham 
Adcock last week.

There are two broad processes of consultation underway.  The first process 
is an official one established by Ministers at the 26 April meeting of the 
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. 
 This process involves the various reference and working groups described in 
paragraphs 7 to 9 of the EdNA Issues Paper.  The key point is that the 
various State and Territory School and Vocational Education systems, the 
Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee and the Catholic and Independent 
school systems  act as the coordinating agencies to ensure that the views of 
all key educational participants in their areas of responsibility are 
reflected in the process.  DEET works through these agencies when consulting 
on the EdNA initiative.

The second process of consultation is an unofficial process of discussion on 
issues associated with EdNA which DEET has been attempting to foster, in 
part  through the medium of the Web.  We have published both general 
background documents and a detailed issues paper to facilitate this process. 


The official consultation process has generated, as one would expect, a 
range of associated papers, including discussion papers, minutes of meetings 
and comments provided by a number of participants in that process.   DEET 
will, as a matter of basic etiquette, only make publicly available papers 
associated with the official process if all those involved in that process 
agree.  The Issues Paper is an example of a paper originally produced for 
the official consultation process subsequently made publicly available.  As 
Graham indicated in his note, it is also our intention to publish the next 
major paper to be produced, the Business Requirements Analysis, once it has 
been cleared by Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers.

As an example of how the process of making information publicly available 
works,  we would not publish the contact details of members of the various 
working groups without the permission of those involved.  This permission 
has not been given.

On a point of detail raised by Roger Clarke, the term 'reception 
infrastructure' appears in the formal decision taken by Ministers and will 
continue to be used, at least for some time.  The substantive point made is 
accepted.  The intention is not to focus in any way on 'passive' reception 
of information.

As Graham noted the best address to make any comment on any aspect of EdNA 
is entf@deet.gov.au.

Evan Arthur
Head
Education Networking Taskforce