NSW Public Sphere: What should we cover?

This will probably be covered off in the intro, but it's good to look at the "why" before the "how". Important in this space because many people believe simply putting up a page on Facebook or whatever the latest social network fad is is adequate without understanding how time-wasting and possibly even damaging such actions can be if not done properly with the right thinking, strategy, preparation and support behind it. Also suggest social media as a standalone topic from online consultation and collaboration.

Probably include licensing including Creative Commons in the section on open data & data access.

I'm assuming it's an implicit assumption that all these topics will focus on how they relate to NSW. I would prefer if this was made much more explicit including asking questions like:

What can the NSW government practically do to promote/encourage gov 2.0?

What issues does NSW face that are unique to NSW?

How should State and Federal services be integrated in gov 2.0?

And an emphasis on practical action and change that needs to take place would be good. It's all too easy for something like this just to deteriorate into a meaningless, self-congratulatory talk-fest, going over all the same issues that have been discussed many times over.

Let's focus on practicality: what can be done? what's stopping things from happening? What are the issues unique to NSW?

I would love to see Local Government and Gov2.0 dealt with at NSW Public Sphere event. As Reem and Diana pointed out at Public Sphere 2, Local Government in NSW faces a range of challenges when implementing new technologies, the major one being the lack of digital infrastructure once you leave the metro areas.

So in that vein I'm going to propose doing a talk based on the ability of Local Government to leverage the Open Source community in Australia to build new services based on my experiences doing exactly that.

Penny and others

Thanks for helping make such an event a reality.

As a NSW public service manager, but not authoriised to speak on behalf of my department I make these points privately. And to deepen the debate, I admit I'm being deliberately provocative:

1.
Transparency and access are both 2-sided. Somewhere, it would be great to see a discussion about how departments avoid being tied up by citizens who get new, ever more public channels to push their own grievance? Particularly when there is no underlying basis, as sometimes happens. This small percentage of people can consume large amounts of time at current levels of access and transparency. Look at how some are adept at getting issues into the media which is, after all, interested in stories that get attention in preference to injustice and inequity per se. The number of stories in the existing media is disproportionately weighted compared to the total volume of public administration, large parts of which are both efficient and equitable. Esp the more sensationalist media. Its the side to access that we don't like to talk about much. What happens when these citizens participate?

2.
After 20 years or so of making the public sector more accountable to government and the political process, shouldn't there be space devoted to discussion on improving transparency and access in the new web 2.0 paradigm, of elected government and political processes and how they direct public sector administration, as there will be for the public sector as an agent unto itself?

3.
NSW public sector bodies are already experimenting with web 2 service delivery, possibly some of them are more than experimenting. So please encourage people to avoid the absolutist cliches that this is *the* beginning, the public sector needs to *start* opening up, etc. Its already happening and realistic discussions will take the form of pushing further, building momentum and so on. Lets not discount the great work already done by the pioneers so far.

Looking forward to the event.

Very nice question and a great answer by the author. I was much interested in the comments rather from the main article...