Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
I'm really pleased to be giving this opening address at the Metadata Australia 2010 conference.
I'm sorry I can't be there in person, but this is an incredible important issue, and
I'd like to wish you all the best for your deliberations over the next couple of days.
Metadata in Australia is one of the core issues that we need to address if we're serious about
Gov 2.0 and putting information to work on behalf of Australian citizens.
It's incredibly important because it provides contextual information for everything we do
with information. If we're serious about setting data free, and we all know that the policy
intention of this government is to have a default position of information collected
on behalf of the public, made public, unless there are compelling reaons - security, privacy
- not to do so.
So for example, making sure that we geocode all sorts of information that we collect,
allows it to be reused and mashed up in different ways. Unless that's done as a matter of course,
unless that's in the metadata in an open format, we can't reuse it, mash it up, reappropriate
it in a suitable or innovative way.
We need to get these settings right, because it's a precursor to the next generation of
how we innovate with information, with data collected on behalf of citizens by the Federal
Government of this country.
For the Government, the challenge is one that is quite significant. And now I'm really pleased
to report back that the Government has provided a very positive response to the Gov 2.0 Taskforce
Report. The Government has accepted nearly all the recommendations, and we're now embarking
upon a journey to see those recommendations come to fruition through a course of both
policy and program action.
I mention the Gov 2.0 Taskforce Report and the positive Goverment response to the recommendations
up front because I think it's the best example of a very forward looking agenda, and how
this Government, the Rudd Labor Government harnesses the power of information that they
collect on behalf of taxpayers and citizens of this country, and how as Government agencies
and departments they will use that to better serve the needs of our population.
It's a combination of issues. There's the social policy side where Government strives
to serve better in the work that they do. And then, there's the technical side, where
behind the scenes we need to get the settings right so the information is collected, and
used, and analysed and redployed in all sorts of different ways, is presented in a practical
way. This is where metadata comes in.
Critical things like open standards and interoperability are also important, but if we're not getting
the system that helps manage the data right, how can we possibly be expected as a Government
to organise it in a way that a) means something to the range of professionals within the public
service who will use and access that information, and b) and this is a big one for the future,
the citizens and business that will want access to that data as it's opened up over time.
And freed up into the public domain, for mashing up and all sorts of innovative uses that we
as a Government haven't even invisiaged yet.
There's been another report which is I think is also relevant to the question of metadata
and how Government organises it's information, and that is the Ahead of the Game Report:
A Blueprint for the Future of the Australian Public Service. This report by Terry Moran,
the head of Prime Minister & Cabinet, also places a great deal of emphasis on the need
for agencies and departments to respond to the challenges of the digital age, and look
at the sorts of Gov 2.0 applications and services that we ought to be offering citizens.
I was pleased to see that the Ahead of the Game Report really emphasised some of the
quite profound ideas espoused in the Gov 2.0 Taskforce Report. So we're starting to see,
I guess a building of the wave of energy around where we need to go. And I know you've heard
me say this before, but the timings perfect, because we're now embarking upon a rollout
of the National Broadband Network, which will in effect, close the Digital Divide for Australia.
And that ushers in a whole new realm of opportunity as governments invest in the information infrastructure
in the full and confident knowledge that it won't be creating a further social divide.
Another important step that's been taken is the passage of the Freedom of Information
& Information Commissioner bills through Parliament, so they're now an Act.
Why is this relevant? Well much of the initiative described in the Gov 2.0 Taskforce Report
relies on an important role of the Information Commissioner, and I think as a starting point
it will be the Information Commissioner which we know is Professor John MacMillan, will
have in setting those overarching policies for government on how we ensure that we move
forward in an interoperable and open environment when it comes to managing information. So
if you haven't set your sights on Professor John MacMillan, I urge you to. He's the Information
Commissioner designate and now that the act passes, I'm sure that he's getting about undertaking
he's duties in this fantastic new role.
I was really pleased to see his appointment because what we really do need in government
to support the excellent work of AGIMO and other innovative agencies with respect to
information policy, is a guiding, overarching oversight from the Information Commissioner
on making sure we are heading in the right direction.
The other perspective I have on metadata is of course as one of the Parliamentary members
on the Advisory Council of the National Archives of Australia, and metadata is incredibly important
to their core business as I'm sure you can imagine. But for me, and having a look at
archiving policy, it's incredibly important to preserve the context of information and
how it's creates. With information being created in all different kinds of formats, and a growing
number of formats all of the time, how we capture this contextualised information which
tells us where is was created, and what the circumstances were, and everything, anything
that is possibly relevant. The answer is in having a solid metadata standard that covers
off all of those bases.
I was at a meeting recently that reminded me of the important of metadata. The feedback
I got what that the private sector, the corporate sector was looking for even more specificity
and guidance when it came to metadata standards. This put the flag up for me, being familiar
with the subject that we need to be forever mindful that not everybody that works in the
field of storing and managing information within an organisation is an expert in metadata.
So the professional advice and direction that can be provided from professionals such as
yourselves will always be gratefully received.
For many citizens, the Internet is just a wonderous realm, but most of them access it
through the use of search engines. And once again, metadata is a key tool in making sure
search are effective. We all know the better the metadata, the stronger the search results,
and on behalf of all Australian citizens I commend that task to you, because we will
all benefit.
I will continue to advocate to the government and amongst my peers here in Parliament the
importance of metadata, and the technical tools that will enable full participation
in the digital economy. It's an incredibly important area of policy that we know touches
all portfolios. There's a huge job to be done, and I'm really pleased to see things like
the Information Commissioner and the positive response to the Gov 2.0 Taskforce Report start
to lay solid foundations towards a much brighter future.
Let me conclude by formally opening the Metadata Australia 2010, sharing data, sharing ideas
conference. It's worth reflecting on the wonderful theme that you've chosen. If we're talking
about Gov 2.0, and we're talking about the digital environment in 2010, it is all about
sharing. It's all about a collaborative platform that we create, and it's about getting the
technical tools rights to make sure that we can genuinely share information and ideas.