The Senate rises this afternoon / evening and does not seem to be considering the Bill today and didn’t over the last two days.
Here is today’s program.
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/DynamicRed/Index.html
The next sitting day is June 15, 2010 so it will be all on hold until then I guess.
See here for sitting days:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/work/sitting/2010/sitting.htm
I wonder what happens next as we have been told not much can happen prior to the legislation passing?
David.
The ABC’s World Today had an interesting interview with Ms Roxon on the e-Health plans.
Here are a few selected quotes.
Melinda Howells reported this story on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 12:14:00
ASHLEY HALL: The Budget allocates almost half a billion dollars over two years for a new system of electronic health records.
Patients will be able to read the information online as will doctors, hospitals, pharmacists, and allied health workers.
Privacy is an obvious concern, but the Government says patients will be in control of their own information.
Doctors say what's been announced is still a long way from what's needed.
Melinda Howells reports.
.....
MELINDA HOWELLS: Last night's Budget allocated almost half a billion dollars over two years to develop the new system. It aims to reduce medication mistakes, cut down on duplication, and give patients access to their own health records.
The Health Minister Nicola Roxon says participation is optional.
NICOLA ROXON: The new investment of $466 million allows us to build the system so that patients will importantly be able to access their own health information. The easiest way to think about is like the sort of banking you do online. You can access your statements and your details. The Commonwealth will not be holding the data. We will be building the parts of the system that link a doctor's records with a pharmacist's records, with a hospital discharge and it will be up to the patient to decide who can access that information and when.
.....
MELINDA HOWELLS: The project is still in the planning stages, but Ms Roxon says privacy concerns have been addressed in the design of the system. She says the Government won't be storing the patient information.
NICOLA ROXON: Well, I think that is one of the big issues that is addressed by the Commonwealth not being the data warehouse, if you like, of this information. We'll in fact be holding and funding the links to the system each individual doctor or pharmacist or hospital service provider will retain information about an individual patient. But the convenience and protection this will give to patients is that you won't have to hunt around and make hundreds of calls to find out when you last had a vaccination.
MELINDA HOWELLS: Doctor Andrew Pesce says what's being proposed is only the first step down the road to a comprehensive national system of electronic health records, which is as useful to clinicians as it is to patients.
ANDREW PESCE: We're still only about 10 per cent of the way down that road. I mean, it's gonna take years something as big as this isn't going to happen overnight, there are lots of systems currently in place that have to be matched up. You just think about it, I mean every hospital has its own electronic health database, general practices do, some doctors don't have computers. All of this has to be married up into a seamless electronic health record. It's going to take some time.
.....
MELINDA HOWELLS: Nicola Roxon says half a billion dollars is a big commitment.
NICOLA ROXON: Governments of past have put off making the decision to do this and our focus will be absolutely on these stages and of course there is business plan for the stages that can come after that. This investment, however, will give the momentum to taking electronic health records that step closer to reality in Australia.
ASHLEY HALL: The Health Minister Nicola Roxon ending that report from Melinda Howells.
The full report can be found here.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s2897298.htm
One question. Does anyone know what they are actually on about and how it is going to work. I sure don’t.
I note the Australian is asking about Google and Microsoft.
opinion | OVER the past few months, federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has kept mum on who exactly will run the proposed electronic health records system.
Will it be the private sector, Medicare, or some other government body? Will it be handed over to health insurers to manage? The crystal ball is still blurry, but we're hopeful Ms Roxon's office will clear the air once and for all today (if she responds to our query).
There have been murmurs in the industry for some time that the government was primed to "outsource" the administration of e-health records to commercial providers, although Ms Roxon has refused to confirm or deny the speculation.
Yesterday's federal budget added more fuel to the fire; look no further than Treasurer Wayne Swan's carefully selected delivery of the new funding regime for e-health records
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Make of all this what you will!
David.
So we are to have $460+Million to be spent over 2 years, with the possibility of some more if success is seen as coming, to develop Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (or maybe Individual Electronic Health Records (IEHR) or maybe something in between).
As with all such announcements the only thing that is missing is any detail. Until that becomes clear this is so much hot air.
Worryingly, the lack of information on the following issues leave one wondering just how seriously all this has been planned and developed.
1. How on earth can a program of this size be kicked off and undertake useful work starting in only seven weeks?
2. What will happen after two years and who would bother if there is no confidence of some reasonable follow-on?
3. Who is going to deliver this national system? Public sector, private sector, a PPP or what?
4. Where is the information that is to apparently populate these records come from?
5. What will be the governance framework for these records?
6. What is the evidence for the actual value of these records to health outcomes – as opposed to provider EMRs?
7. What is NEHTA’s role and what is DoHA’s role to be?
8. What will be the management and organisational framework for delivery of these plans?
I anticipate the Department will make the answers to these questions available over the next week or so. They must know or how else can they say the spend – over 2 years – will be exactly $466.7 Million.
If this information is not forthcoming promptly we will all be able to draw our own conclusions about all this.
David.
Australians will be able to check their medical history online through the introduction of personally controlled electronic health records, which will boost patient safety, improve health care delivery, and cut waste and duplication.
11 May 2010
Australians will be able to check their medical history online through the introduction of personally controlled electronic health records, which will boost patient safety, improve health care delivery, and cut waste and duplication.
The $466.7 million investment over the next two years will revolutionise the delivery of healthcare in Australia.
The national e-Health records system will be a key building block of the National Health and Hospitals Network.
This funding will establish a secure system of personally controlled electronic health records that will provide:
Benefits for patients
Patients for the first time will be empowered with easy-to-access information about their medical history - including medications, test results and allergies - allowing them to make informed choices about their healthcare.
They will be able to present for treatment anywhere in the country, and give permission for health professionals to access their relevant history at the touch of a button.
Patients will no longer have to remember every detail of their care history and retell it to every care provider they see. Parents will not have to remember the vaccinations their child has had, and doctors and nurses won’t have to thumb through paper records.
Patients will control what is stored on their medical records and will decide which medical professionals can view or add to their files, meaning privacy will be strengthened.
A personally controlled electronic heath record will have two key elements:
Benefits for health providers and the health system
Poor availability of health information across care settings can be frustrating and time consuming for patients and health professionals alike.
It can also have damaging effects on a patient’s health outcomes through avoidable adverse drug events and lack of communication between health care providers.
About 2-3 per cent of hospital admissions in Australia are linked medication errors. It equates to 190,000 admissions each year and costs the health system $660 million.
About 8 per cent of medical errors are because of inadequate patient information.
Clear, quickly available information will reduce such incidents, avoid unnecessary tests and save scarce health resources.
Implementation of personally controlled electronic health records
Personally controlled electronic health records will build on the foundation laid by the introduction of the Individual Health Care Identifiers later this year. Under this, every Australian will be given a 16-digit electronic health number, which will only store a patient’s name, address and date-of-birth. No clinical information will be stored on the number, which is separate to an electronic health record.
Implementation will initially target key groups in the community likely to receive the most immediate benefit, including those suffering from chronic and complex conditions, older Australians, Indigenous Australians and mothers and newborn children.
This investment includes funding for the first two years of the individual electronic health record business case developed in consultation with all states and territories and the National Electronic Health Transition Authority (NEHTA).
Subject to progress in rolling out the core e-Health infrastructure, the Government may consider future investments, as necessary, to expand on the range of functions delivered under an electronic health record system.
Reforms to take health system into 21st century
A national e-Health records system was identified as a national priority by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission and the draft National Primary Health Care Strategy. It was also supported by the National Preventative Health Strategy.
The Government’s reform plans in primary, acute, aged and community care also require a modern e-Health infrastructure. It is a key foundation stone in building a health system for the 21st century.
A personally controlled electronic health record will not be mandatory to receive health care. For those Australians who do choose to opt in, they will be able to register online to establish a personally controlled e-Health record from 2012-13.
The release is here:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/budget/publishing.nsf/Content/budget2010-hmedia09.htm
Comment later – but I do note there is no mention of leadership, governance or technologies to be used.
David.
This is what is in the Budget for e-Health.
Expense ($m)
2010‑11 185.6 Million
2011‑12 281.2 Million
The Government will provide $466.7 million over two years to establish the key components of the personally controlled electronic health record system for Australia. This secure online system will enable improved access to health care information, commencing in 2012‑13.
This funding will provide the capability to produce nationally consistent patient health summaries from existing and compliant information sources. Patients who choose to participate will be able to securely access, and permit their healthcare providers to access, their health information. Personally controlled health records will over time be capable of incorporating a range of health information, such as a patient's general health history, pathology and radiology summaries and prescription information. This will support more informed clinical assessments and decision making, improve continuity of care for patients and introduce efficiencies in health care service delivery.
The measure builds on the Healthcare Identifiers Service, which is being developed as a foundation service for eHealth initiatives in Australia. Healthcare identifiers will allow for accurate identification of patients and health care providers and provider organisations. Subject to the passage of legislation, $0.5 million per annum in existing funding will be provided to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for regulatory support in relation to health care identifiers in 2010‑11 and 2011‑12.
In order to fully realise the significant benefits of this Commonwealth investment, State and Territory governments will also need to continue their planned or expected investments in core health information systems. The States and Territories will also need to provide the complementary investments to build their capacity in readiness for connection to this national system.
Sounds fine – I wonder what the business case for this vagueness it. Maybe it is there is a lot more detail somewhere else, and we will see it in due course!
There is also an item for the Pharmacists:
The measure will also provide funding of $375.3 million over six years (including $91.8 million in 2014‑15) to implement new initiatives under the agreement. These include:
Does anyone know if that specification actually exists and has been tested etc?
I guess we will have to wait for more detail, but note how there is no mention of the Private Sector, just the States and Territories!
I wonder who is going to manage all this money. Not clear right now!
Can they possibly start spending all this money in less than 2 months? That may be a real prescription (forgive the pun) for waste and mismanagement!
You can read the detailed press release here:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/budget/publishing.nsf/Content/budget2010-hmedia09.htm
David.
The title was.
Author: Edmund Barton
The article discussed the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement which was recently agreed with the Commonwealth Government and which will be revealed in detail on Budget night we are told.
The relevant paragraphs for the e-Health Community are as follows:
“She said the agreement also encouraged pharmacies to use electronic prescriptions.
This is a nice little earner, indeed, for the PGA Those e-prescriptions will be handled by the its eRx system, not the Medisecure system endorsed by the College of GPs.
They will attract a taxpayer subsidy of 15c per prescription with another 10c charged by the PGA. Within five years, this could be costing the Government about $18million a year and earning the PGA about $12million.
More than 3700 pharmacies, doctors and medical specialists are reported to be eRxready, although it was launched only a year ago.”
I have to say that this is a totally pathetic outcome in my view. The only way e-prescribing should be sponsored by the Government is via a Vendor Independent Standards Based approach operated as a public good by an agency like Medicare or my proposed ‘e-Health Australia’.
See here:
http://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2010/05/2010-budget-and-e-health-what-must-be.html
We can only hope there is a confused journalist out there!
To hand the Pharmacy Guild a monopoly of this sort is just dreadful public policy in my view.
Can anyone, who has the details, confirm / deny this report?
David.
The following just turned up.
10 May 2010. NEHTA announces Lynda O’Grady has been appointed an Independent Director to the NEHTA Board of Directors.
Ms O’Grady joins NEHTA at a time when e-health is playing a pivotal role in Australia’s health reform agenda.
Board Chairman David Gonski said Ms O’Grady’s appointment was decided at a recent Board meeting and is effective immediately. The appointment is for a three year term.
“We are delighted to welcome Lynda O’Grady as a new Independent Director. Lynda brings with her a wealth of experience having held senior executive roles in IT, telecommunications and media organisations including Telstra Corporation, PBL and Alcatel.”
Lynda is Principal of the management consultancy firm, Advanced Management Services, which provides consultancy and business advisory services on strategic and organisational issues for clients across a wide range of industries and sectors. In addition, she is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is currently a member of the Council of Bond University; a member of the Board of Advisors of Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre; and director of Screen Queensland and Auscript Group Pty Limited. She also served on the Board of TAB Queensland for five years prior to its listing and on the IT&T Board of Advisors to the New South Wales Treasurer.
Ms O’Grady has been working with the NEHTA Board of Directors as an Independent Advisor since April 2009.
ENDS
The release is here:
http://www.nehta.gov.au/media-centre/nehta-news/637-ind-dir
I am sure Lynda is a smart and competent person but she is not an e-Health expert and she does not come from that sector.
The NEHTA Board is stacked by Public Sector Health Executives and has not a single Director who has any real depth in e-Health.
Until that is fixed the Board will continue to be a joke in my view.
I wonder if all this about a pay-out related to NEHTA being wrapped up real soon now?
David.
Here are a few I have come across this week.
Note: Each link is followed by a title and a paragraph or two. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or payment.
Well it looks like it will be a very interesting Budget that Mr Swan is describing as ‘boring’!
I only hope for readers here that is not the case!
On other fronts we seem still to have all sorts of issues continuing to grumble along. It is really getting to be long enough to get the Qld Health Payroll fixed!
We will all wait and watch on Tuesday at 7:30pm. I published my wish list yesterday!
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FLAWED regulations for the Healthcare Identifiers regime may force the closure of existing e-health programs and force software and IT service providers to employ a registered practitioner "to sit in the corner" in order to meet eligibility requirements.
Under the proposed rules, programs such as shared care for patients with chronic diseases, clinical trials, secure messaging services and e-prescribing may be shut down because software-makers and third-party service providers will not be treated as "eligible organisations" because they are not directly delivering healthcare.
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LEADING medical software-makers are meeting on Monday to hammer out policy and technical concerns over the Rudd government's Healthcare Identifiers project in a worsening crisis as the proposed July 1 launch date looms.
It's understood more than 70 members have agreed at short notice to attend a full-day industry roundtable in Sydney, as Health Minister Nicola Roxon's departmental chiefs and Medicare officials hustle to fix key regulatory matters threatening to derail enabling legisation for the HI service in the Senate.
The Medical Software Industry Association has requested a briefing from senior Health and Medicare staff on flaws in the regulations that threaten to shut down existing e-health programs and force IT service providers to employ a health professional in order to meet eligibility requirements.
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http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/go-figure-silence-of-2mayear-bureau-20100508-uktz.html
May 9, 2010
IT IS costing the NSW taxpayers $2 million a year and was supposed to be operational last year but the Bureau of Health Information has so far failed to file a single report.
In March last year former health minister John Della Bosca announced the bureau would be up and running by July 2009, providing more transparent data to improve patient care.
The government's promise was in response to Peter Garling's special commission of inquiry into NSW public hospitals that called for an independent source of health information. But calls to the bureau last week were being transferred automatically to Health Support Services while its website promised it would ''be issuing the first of its releases shortly''.
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AN estimated 5000 deaths, two million GP and outpatient visits and 310,000 hospital admissions could be prevented every year if an effective IT system were rolled out - saving up to $7.6 billion in health costs annually, according to an analysis for release today.
The biggest share of the savings, worth $2.6bn each year, would come from reducing medication errors, while a further $2.3bn would come from improved care and prevention, according to the analysis of how greater computerisation could benefit Australia's health system.
Drug errors occur for various reasons, such as prescriptions being misread, wrong doses given, or because doctors do not spot the drug they are about to supply may interact with others the patient is already taking.
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THE future of a number of telehealth pilot projects is in doubt as the original funding runs out at the end of the financial year and no new payment models have emerged.
Under the former $120 million Clever Networks program to roll out broadband infrastructure and services in rural and remote areas, telehealth projects have proven successful.
But with no progress on revamping arrangements for Medicare benefits so doctors and other clinicians can be paid for services provided, it is unclear how some services will remain financially viable.
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http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/gp-ehealth-network-forecast-to-save-health-system-billions
7th May 2010
CONNECTING general practices in an e-health network could shave nearly $5 billion off Australia’s healthcare costs, and avoid more than two million GP and outpatient visits each year.
According to a new analysis by international management consultants Booz & Company, practices that make a $3000 investment in e-health could yield a potential annual saving of $668,000 for the healthcare system.
These savings would accrue by reducing medication errors, improving adherence to best practices and reducing unnecessary hospital visits.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/345795/primary_role_e-health_low-spending_budget/
NBN, IT skills likely to be sidelined in next Federal Budget, but Henry Tax recommendations will play some part
Speculation on what the Federal Government may introduce in its annual Budget on 11 May has centred on e-health.
As part of the Budget, it is believed the Government will introduce $2 billion in funding for the health sector, following the announcement of a National Health and Hospitals Network and ongoing national health reform initiatives. While e-health measures were not included in recent health reform announcements, industry bodies have speculated that electronic health initiatives are still on the agenda and may be introduced as part of the budget.
"We think there's going to be something there and we think it's going to be pretty specific on e-health, maybe patient records," Australian Computer Society (ACS) chief executive officer, Bruce Lakin, told Computerworld Australia.
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http://www.nehta.gov.au/media-centre/feature-story/634-smd
Australia’s first Secure Message Delivery (SMD) Connectathon was held in Canberra from 19 to 23 April 2010.
Over 45 participants from industry, government and GP Divisions visited the collaborative event which was organised by IHE Australia, an open not-for-profit organisation supporting the interoperability needs of e-health Standards users in Australia. The Connectathon was funded by DOHA, and supported by the Medical Software Industry Association and Standards Australia.
Thirteen software companies took part in the event, developing code and testing the interconnectivity between their commercial software applications, using new specifications published by Standards Australia in March, and testing procedures developed and monitored by the NATA-accredited Australian Healthcare Messaging Laboratory (AHML).
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QUEENSLAND Health's payroll system is in "chaos" with 35,000 wage anomalies to resolve and more banking up with each pay cycle, the Australian Services Union says.
Tens of thousands of Queensland Health staff have been underpaid, overpaid, or not paid at all after new payroll technology was installed in March.
More workers have been incorrectly paid in the latest pay cycle on Wednesday.
The ASU, which represents Queensland Health's 650 payroll staff, says technical issues with the new software are yet to be fixed.
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http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/software-glitch-hampers-child-flu-vaccine-records
7th May 2010
SEVERE reactions to this year’s seasonal flu vaccination appear to occur in children naïve to flu vaccine and in those younger than three, rather than the entire under-five cohort as initially suspected.
But establishing a precise denominator for this year’s vaccinated cohort has been fraught with difficulty because a software glitch has prevented optimum recording of doses on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR).
Perth paediatric immunologist Associate Professor Peter Richmond said the affected children were mostly younger than three years. “It seems to have affected more children who are getting vaccine for the first time – the data we’ve got from Princess Margaret Hospital would suggest that,” he said.
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http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/articles/70/0c068f70.asp
3-May-2010
By Dr Craig Lilienthal
AS a GP with a long interest in risk management, I was disappointed to read the Australian Doctor article that computers don’t improve the quality of patient care (‘Computers dont improve care quality’, 16 April).
I know there is a difference between risk management and quality assurance, but these two activities are closely related. Dr Paul Nisselle, Avant’s former general manager of clinical risk management, used to say they were the flipside of each other, while I refer to them as being at the opposite ends of a spectrum, but overlapping in the middle.
I have worked in computerised practices for more than a decade and I shudder to think of the poor quality of my medical records when, in the bad old days, I wrote everything by hand — medical notes, prescriptions, referrals and certificates. My handwriting was so bad that I used to print important things rather than use my excuse for cursive script. While on most occasions I could read my own notes, none of my colleagues could read them and I always felt sorry for the local pharmacists.
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http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr10-nr-nr079.htm
Source: Government of Australia Posted on: 3rd May 2010
The Government and Pharmacy Guild of Australia have finalised the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement, which will provide better pharmacy services for consumers and a stronger role for pharmacy at the front line of health care.
The Pharmacy Agreement will ensure all Australians continue to have easy access to essential medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, by providing security and certainty for Australia’s network of 5000 community pharmacies.
Key features and reforms under the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement will include:
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http://www.cio.com.au/article/345598/vic_govt_cools_off_large_it_projects/
Smaller government 2.0 ventures on the rise
The Victorian state government has become "gun shy" on big IT projects, prompting questions about whether overall IT spending is set to decline, according to an analyst firm.
Some $650 million of funding for IT projects over four years was allocated in the 2005-06 budget. It compares with $525 million in 2006-07, $120 million in 2007-08, $460 million in 2008-09 and $400 million in 2009-10.
Steve Hodgkinson, research director at Ovum, said past budgets have accumulated a rolling four-year funding portfolio that peaked with a total of about $500 million in the 2008-09 year for new IT-enabled transformation programs such as public transport ticketing, train and bus systems, Healthsmart, the Ultranet, VicSmart fibre to schools and systems development projects in the Justice and Police departments.
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http://www.cio.com.au/article/345623/privacy_commissioner_warns_dangers_scanning_ids_pubs_clubs/
Scanning policies must adhere to privacy laws
Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, is warning CIOs of pubs and clubs around Australia to be aware of privacy obligations to their patrons.
It is commonplace for pubs and clubs to request identification of patrons as they enter a venue, however Curtis has warned that patrons’ information could be divulged to a third party if proper security procedures are not adhered to.
“ID scanning, fingerprinting and iris scans are becoming increasingly common at pubs and clubs, and I am not convinced that all venues understand what their privacy obligations are when using these technologies,” she said in a statement.
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iSOFT Business Solutions, the financial software, procurement and bespoke solutions provider, announces a partnership with Real Asset Management (RAM), a provider of fixed asset management software and services. The new partnership sees the integration of RAM's complete asset management solution with iSOFT's Integra Open Enterprise suite, providing users with fixed asset management functionality to complement iSOFT's existing accounting module.
iSOFT Business Solutions delivers financial solutions and services across its strong commercial base as well as the public sector, working with the NHS, Central Government, Local Authorities, Housing Associations, Police Authorities and Not for Profit organisations to help improve performance and drive financial efficiency.
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PRESSURE is mounting on Telstra to agree on a deal to participate in the national broadband network after the release of a $25 million report that declared the $43 billion NBN project could be built without the telecommunications giant.
Telstra's rivals heaped praise on the findings of the KPMG and McKinsey-led implementation study, which found that the government's ambitious plan to connect 90 per cent of the nation to a fibre-to-the-home network capable of 100Mbps internet speeds was financially viable, with or without Telstra's participation.
Macquarie Telecom described the findings as a long-sought-for win for equal access in the telco sector, while Telstra's closest rival, Optus, said it would open up true broadband competition for consumers and carriers alike.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/345775/analysts_greet_nbn_study_ask_business_case/?eid=-6787
Four analysts provide the low down on the study, with some doubt over customer uptake rate assumptions
Analysts have broadly welcomed the findings of the NBN Implementation Study, but expressed some doubt around the state of a business case for the national infrastructure project.
Ovum’s David Kennedy said the Study’s cost estimate of $26 billion for coverage of 93 per cent of the population was realistic and in the range the analyst house had expected – between $25 and $30 billion.
However, there was much less detail in the Study on the revenue side, Kennedy said, particularly around the assumptions on the rate of fibre take up.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/345621/nbn_implementation_study_numbers/?eid=-255
And a few others that relate to the rollout of the National Broadband Network rollout
The NBN is a numbers game. Despite all the commentary around socio-economic benefits, innovation levels and other effects the fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network promises, most discussions remain focussed on the figures. So here are a few in the wake of the NBN Implementation Study’s release:
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THE federal government is confident of reaching an agreement with Telstra for the telco to shift its network traffic to the $43 billion national broadband network. It also plans to reintroduce legislation to split the company in two next week.
Speaking after a business breakfast in Melbourne yesterday, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said he would release the findings of an implementation study by business consultants KPMG and McKinsey this week, but would not respond to it until a period of community consultation was complete. He was confident the study would support the economic case for building the NBN, regardless of the nature of Telstra's involvement.
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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/rollout-of-a-disaster/story-e6frg6zo-1225862269608
DESPITE the bravado from Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, it is clear the federal government must reshape its strategy for a national broadband superhighway if it wants to prevent this policy dream turning into a financial and logistical nightmare.
The government's $43 billion plan - which materialised out of thin air a year ago - to connect 90 per cent of Australian homes, schools and businesses (10 million premises) with super-fast fibre-optic cable within eight years was always unrealistic. For a start, meeting this target would require at least 5000 premises to be connected every day for the life of the project.
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THE federal government has moved a step closer to its aim of using web technology to promote transparent administration, but the Coalition has labelled the effort as just "blah, bureaucracy and boffin-speak".
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner and Special Minister of State Joe Ludwig yesterday announced that the government had accepted most of the findings of its Government 2.0 taskforce.
The taskforce, which reported its findings to the government in December, was established to come up with ways to use the internet to make public service information more readily available and promote stronger engagement between government and citizens.
Of the 13 recommendations the government only challenged a handful.
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Enjoy!
David.
