The Australian 2.0 Taskforce’s draft report, ‘Engage: getting on with Government 2.0′, makes bold recommendations aimed at making “government not just more open and democratic, not just more consultative, but also a truer collaboration between the apparatus of the state and its citizens”.
It suggests that the USA, UK and NZ are leading the ‘transition towards Government 2.0′ and lists what these countries have done to merit that judgement - see the New Zealand list on pages 12-14.
I was pleased to see the draft New Zealand Open Access and Licensing (NZGOAL) framework in that list as well as NZ’s guidance on online participation, social media, the development of this blog, the National Broadband map and examples of NZ agencies’ innovative use of ‘Government 2.0′.
The draft report’s central recommendation is a Declaration of Open Government by the Federal Government. This is in line with President Obama’s 21 January 2009 Transparency and Open Government Declaration which was followed up this week by the Open Government Directive.
The draft report argues that there is economic and social value to be gained from governments making public sector information (PSI) available for re-use and distributed at zero price. This will be facilitated by ‘licensing PSI, on as liberal terms as possible, to drive wide-ranging benefits including better government, greater innovation and economic and social benefits.
The copyright and licensing proposals in Recommendation 6 are consistent with but go further than our draft NZGOAL framework. They propose that :
- PSI is released as early as practicable and regularly updated to ensure its currency is maintained;
- it is licensed under the Creative Commons BY standard as the default;
- more restrictive licensing is reserved for special circumstances only, such use to be in accordance with general guidance or specific advice provided by the proposed new Office of the Information Commissioner;
- develop rules whereby ‘the existing stock of PSI could be automatically designated Creative Commons BY , with other PSI being re-licensed Creative Commons BY on application with rights of appeal to the new Information Commissioner’;
- new government contracts or agreements with a third party after June 2011 include a clause stating the Commonwealth’s obligation to publish relevant data and that this be under a Creative Commons BY licence.
We (the Department of Internal Affairs and the State Services Commission) are revising the draft NZGOAL in the light of feedback received. We will consider the recommendations in this draft report and also incorporate the very thoughtful feedback received from the public and from government agencies. Our final document will be submitted to Cabinet for its consideration next year following the customary final consultation process with departments.
Please continue to let us know what advice you would like included in the final NZGOAL framework and accompanying guidance. Thanks very much for your comments to date.
Post a comment here or email nzgoal@ssc.govt.nz.
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