Online Government Council - press release

[Robin Whittle]

Spotted this on the DoCA Web Site after being prompted by someone in 
the know:

   http://www.dca.gov.au/mediarel/ogc01.html

Selective quotes follow - but be sure to read the original if you
are interested.

This is the Ministers - not the Information Policy Advisory Council 
headed by Terry Cutler (http://www.dca.gov.au/mediarel/ipac.html)

- Robin


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Online Government Council

COMMUNIQUE      First meeting    7 March 1997

Senior Ministers from State, Territory and local governments at
the inaugural meeting of the Online Government Council in
Canberra today agreed to a national approach to online
communications and electronic service delivery. 

<Snip>

Senator the Hon Richard Alston  Commonwealth Minister for Communications 
                                and the Arts 

The Hon Carl Scully MLA         Minister for Public Works and Services, NSW 

The Hon Alan Stockdale MLA      Treasurer and Minister for Multimedia, VIC 

Mr Mark Stoneman MLA            Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, QLD 

The Hon H J Cowan MLA           Deputy Premier, WA 

The Hon Ronald Cornish MHA      Minister for Public Sector Administration, TAS 

South Australia was represented by Mr Robert Lawson QC MLC, on behalf of the 
Hon Dean Brown MHA, Minister for Information and Contract Services. 

Councillor John Ross, Vice President of the Australian Local Government 
Association (ALGA) represented the President of the ALGA. 

The Australian Capital Territory was represented by Ms Moiya Ford, Senior 
Director, Strategy and Information, ACT Government. 

<Snip>

Ministers decided the Council would meet regularly to provide: 

   leadership to all areas of government, the private sector
   and the broader community, in promoting and encouraging
   cooperative approaches to electronic communications, as well
   as a customer-focused approach to electronic service
   delivery; and a forum for Commonwealth, State and Territory
   Ministers and local government to agree on national
   strategic approaches to government use of information and
   communication services. 

Ministers discussed a range of issues at the inaugural meeting,
including: 

   electronic service delivery; 
   cooperation in telecommunications and electronic service delivery; 
*  user authentication; 
   electronic commerce;
   implications of year 2000 date change; 
*  online content regulation; 
*  the Commonwealth Government's $250 million Regional Telecommunications 
   Infrastructure Fund.

(* = text below)


User authentication 
-------------------
     
Due to the rapid pace of technological development, and the
escalating use of electronic commerce and electronic service
delivery, Ministers agreed that governments must quickly develop
the necessary operating and legislative frameworks to engender
confidence and encourage the use of these technologies. 

Ministers gave in principle endorsement to digital
signatures-using certified public key cryptography-to verify
parties involved in government transactions which require
authentication. 

User authentication is certifying the identity of an individual
or organisation-necessary for secure electronic commerce and
electronic service delivery by government, the private sector and
community. 

(This means Public Key Authentication Framework - see my website for
details - Robin.)


Online content regulation 
-------------------------

Ministers discussed a proposed self regulatory framework for the
online services industry, based on industry-developed codes of
practice and supervised by the Australian Broadcasting Authority
(ABA). 

The proposed regulatory framework is intended to balance the need
to ensure that community standards will be maintained-and that
children are protected from unsuitable material-with the need to
support the emerging online industry. 

Censorship Ministers will continue to be consulted about State
and Territory laws in relation to online content origination and
possession. 


Regional Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund 
-----------------------------------------------

The Commonwealth Government has established the Regional
Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) to ensure that
rural and regional Australians have the opportunity to share the
benefits of new communications services. 

Ministers agreed that Commonwealth, State and Territory and local
government officials should work closely together to ensure the
fund is effectively implemented and complements existing
initiatives and strategies. Funding of community-focused projects
will be over five years with the first projects to be announced
in the second half of 1997. 


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. Robin Whittle                                               .
. http://www.ozemail.com.au/~firstpr   firstpr@ozemail.com.au .
. 11 Miller St. Heidelberg Heights 3081 Melbourne Australia   .
. Ph +61-3-9459-2889    Fax +61-3-9458-1736                   .
. Consumer advocacy in telecommunications, especially privacy .
.                                                             .
. First Principles      - Research and expression - music,    .
.                         music industry, telecommunications  .
.                         human factors in technology adoption.
.                                                             .
. Real World Interfaces - Hardware and software, especially   .
.                         for music                           .