• Craig Thomler, Gov 20. Advocate and General Manager Delib Australia
• Mary-Anne Williams, Associate Dean Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney
• Susan Sly, Chief Information Officer, VicRoads
• Don Easter, IT Supplier Advocate, Australian Government

Photo courtesy CeBIT Australia

For me, [the relationship between e-Government, Gov 2.0 and open government] is very much a continuum, and a continuum with people on very different parts of the maturity curve at any point in time.

The broad-ranging conversation tackles questions such as:

• What are the connections between e-government, Gov 2.0 and open government – is it a continuum?
• What is the role of citizens in creating “Society 2.0”?
• Why is big data important to government?
• What are the big questions for 2014?

A lot of Gov 2.0 is government having conversations with itself… there’s an internal dialogue that’s going on within government that’s possibly the most important part of it because it’s actually government questioning “Are we doing things the best possible way, and can we improve it?

About the Panel

About Susan Sly

Susan Sly has worked in the IT industry for thirteen years with prior experience in HR and management across the oil and gas industry, Defence and state government.

Susan’s role in VicRoads spans strategy, security, operational service delivery, project management, business intelligence, spatial services and sourcing for VicRoads information management and technology capabilities.   VicRoads processes more than 22 million transactions a year for 3.7 million licensed drivers and 4.9 million registered vehicles, manages 22,000 km of road network and supports a range of planning and enforcement activities for road safety purposes.

Susan’s key priorities for the next two years are embedding new practices and team capabilities to reflect emerging industry standards, supporting productivity initiatives across the business, operationalising new technology suites and enhancing the use of the organisation’s information stores.  Particular interests that she will progress include the use of social media to share knowledge & enhance productivity and enhanced industry engagement within the government environment.

About Craig Thomler

Craig is one of Australia’s leading social media and Government 2.0 advocates and practitioners, having spent more than 15 years working in the online industry, including five in Australia’s Commonwealth Public Service.

In 2009 Craig was awarded the inaugural Government 2.0 Individual Innovator Award by the Australian Government’s Government 2.0 Taskforce and in 2010 was named one of ‘The Top 10 Who are Changing the World of Internet and Politics’ by PoliticsOnline and the World eDemocracy Forum in France.

Recognised internationally as a social media and Government 2.0 leader, Craig presents regularly around the world on new media strategy and practice and blogs at eGovAU) (http://egovau.blogspot.com)

About Mary-Anne Williams

Professor Mary-Anne Williams is one of Australia’s leading researchers in Knowledge Representation, and Past President of KR Inc, the peak body for Knowledge Representation. Mary-Anne chaired the Australian Research Council’s 2012 ERA Panel for Mathematics, Information and Computing Sciences and served on the ARC College of Experts. Mary-Anne leads the emerging area of Social Robotics in Australia, is listed on 25 women in robotics you need to know about, and serves as Review Editor for the prestigious Artificial Intelligence Journal. Mary-Anne is a Fellow at Stanford University, a Guest Professor at the University of Science and Technology China, and her work has been adopted by industry, notably Infosys and IBM Research. This year she chaired the Industry Track at the International Semantic Web Conference.

About Don Easter

Don Easter is an accomplished senior executive and company director with extensive experience and networks internationally and in Australia.  Don has led turnaround, growth and considerable change programs in both large and small companies.

His expertise includes sales, product development, operations, risk management and setting and executing strategy.

Don has managed businesses in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the United States of America with appointments that have included Managing Director of Electronic Data Systems (EDS) Australia, Senior Vice President Private Equity for ABN AMRO and General Manager, Credit and Risk for AGC.

In his part-time role as Information Technology (IT) Supplier Advocate, Don brings strategic leadership, access to decision-makers and senior executive weight to help enhance industry-led activities aimed at raising the competitiveness of IT SMEs firms and linking them with business opportunities.

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Episode links and resources

• GovInnovate 2013 

Big qs for 2014 via panel: How do we do it better, how do we get leadership mandate, what can tech do, how can ppl connect #GovInnovateCeBIT

— Cofluence (@Cofluence) November 28, 2013

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• Twitter hashtags: #govinnovatecebit #gov2au #opengov

• Zachary Tumin, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
• Deirdre O’Donnell, Information Commissioner, Office of the Information Commissioner NSW
• Martin Stewart-Weeks, Director, Public Sector Consulting APAC, Cisco

The broad-ranging conversation tackles questions such as:

• How can a culture of Gov 2.0 impact the relationship of citizens to government? And within government?
• What are the connections between e-government, social media and open government
• What are the risks, rewards, and potential of open and connected government?

The discussion also features excerpts from Gov20 Radio  interviews with Chris Vein, David Ferreiro, Nigel Shadbolt, David Eaves and Barbara Ubaldi.

For more information on the, including a curated social stream, visit the Gov20 Radio CeBIT Gov 2.0 page.

Panel images courtesy CeBIT Australia

About the panel

Zachary Tumin

Zachary Tumin is Special Assistant to Director and Faculty Chair, Science, Technology and Public Policy Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Over his career, Zach has served at the Kennedy School in research and staff positions, and in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors as chief executive, staff, and consultant to leaders in industry and government.

Deirdre O’Donnell

Deirdre O’Donnell is the inaugural New South Wales Information Commissioner.

Prior to taking up this role, for almost three years Ms O’Donnell held the position of Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman where she led the TIO scheme through unprecedented growth.

From 2002 to 2007, she was the Western Australian Ombudsman, a position with wide investigative powers, including those of a Royal Commission. Western Australia was the first State to establish an ombudsman’s office in 1972, and Ms O’Donnell was the first woman to be appointed to the position.

Ms O’Donnell was also a State Records Commissioner, a member of the Western Australian Integrity Coordinating Group, and the Energy Ombudsman Western Australia.

In recognition of her work in Western Australia, Ms O’Donnell received a public service medal in the Australia Day Honours for 2008.

Martin Stewart-Weeks

Martin Stewart-Weeks is a director in the global public sector practice of  the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG)., He has more than  20 years of experience in organizational management and consulting in  the corporate and public sectors, and with a wide range of not-for-profit  organizations. In his work with the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), Martin’s focus is primarily on the public sector. He works at the senior-executive and political levels to help shape Internet business solutions and online strategies.

A consistent theme of Martin’s professional experience has been public policy and management.  He has held senior policy, management, and advisory positions for ministers and government agencies at the federal and state government level in Australia. In the early 1980s, he held the position of Senior Private Secretary to a Federal Minister, and in the early ‘90s he was a consultant in the Office of Strategic Planning in  The Cabinet Office in New South Wales.

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Episode links and resources

• Where Government 2.0 meets Society 2.0 – Zach Tumin
• Countdown to OGP and NASA’s global Space Apps Challenge – Chris Vein
• Social media, record-keeping and open government – David Ferriero
• Launching the Open Data Institute: bottom-up, middle-out, top-down – Nigel Shadbolt
• OECD e-Leaders 2012: From e-Gov to OpenGov – David Eaves
• The ongoing eGovernment evolution – Barbara Ubaldi

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• Hashtags: #gov20 #gov2au #cebitgov20

In this special 2-part interview with Zachary Tumin from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Belfer Centre, we look at how all parts of society can collaborate to innovate.

Zach also previews his new book ‘Collaborate or Perish’ where he and co-author William J. Bratton have developed an 8-phase collaboration lifecycle to help anyone with an idea to more successfully collaborate.

“Gov 2.0, as a proxy for increased engagement and involvement of citizens with government, is mighty and a force to be reckoned with… Whether or not government gets the idea of collaboration, it’s constantly going on all around us and the best thing that government can do is tap into it.”

About Zachary Tumin

Zachary Tumin is Special Assistant to Director and Faculty Chair, Science, Technology and Public Policy Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Over his career, Zach has served at the Kennedy School in research and staff positions, and in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors as chief executive, staff, and consultant to leaders in industry and government.

Zach leads research initiatives, teaches senior executives in closed door sessions and addresses organizations in keynote and panels around the world. He is the author of numerous teaching cases, working papers, reports and essays.

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Part 1 – Gov 2.0

Part 2  – Collaboration

Episode links and resources

• Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
• Report – From Government 2.0 to Society 2.0: Pathways to Engagement, Collaboration and Transformation
• Zach Tumin’s personal website

Collaborate or Perish!

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• Tags: #gov20 #society20 #collaboration #innovation

When the Government of British Columbia in Canada released their Government 2.0 Strategy, it built on their social communication experience during two key ‘catalyst events’: the H1N1 virus pandemic and the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Kieran Harrop talks about his time with the Office of the CIO in the BC Government, and how events such as these, together with strong leadership and building a culture of trust among the civil service, creates cut-through and momentum around new ways of communicating.

I was talking to a friend of mine, and he said that Government 2.0 is like water – it will always find a way around obstacles, and no matter how many obstacles you put up, it will find the easiest way around it.

About Kieran Harrop

Kieran Harrop is a Partner and Executive Consultant at CGI and formerly the Director of Business Engagement and Strategic Initiatives at the Office of the CIO, Province of British Columbia. He is interested in how Open Government and Government 2.0 can increase transparency, public engagement and enable better, more efficient service outcomes for citizens, and intrigued by the power of technology to change our lives and create value for organizations.

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Episode links and resources

• Lynchpin by Seth Godin
• Citizens @ the Centre BC Government Transformation and Technology strategy (PDF)
• Kieran’s blog: Silicon Valley North of 49
• Gov 2.0 Strategic Framework

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The Black Saturday fires devastated Australia and shocked the world. Now, the Country Fire Authority of Victoria has become a leading example of the use of social media for emergency management, winning this year’s Australian eGovernment award.

Martin Anderson, CFA’s Digital Media Manager and Australian Government 2.0 Innovator of the Year for 2012, explains how the experience of the February 2009 fires highlighted the importance of social communication tools in emergency situations, and that even within a command-and-control environment, agencies need to look outside the box, be flexible and improvise.

What I’m trying to do is explore and learn more myself, and also expose the principles of crowdsourcing and the benefits it can bring to the emergency services.

About Martin Anderson

Martin Anderson is the Digital Media Manager for the Country Fire Aurhority of Victoria, with a background in communications and journalism. During that time he has helped position the organisation as a recognised leader in the digital / social media field. His goal is to continue to use his diverse communication skills to help inform and engage people in ways that enhance their personal and working lives and encourage the development of strong, resilient communities both on and offline.

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Episode links and resources

• CFA Facebook – warnings, incident updates, community safety, general news
• CFA Twitter for warnings, incident updates, media releases
• CFA Twitter for general CFA news
• CFA connect website
• CFA YourTube channel
• CFA wins e-Government awards
• Social media in emergency management presentation http://youtu.be/_EPnCdTPwgM
• CFA / DSE warnings / incidents page – http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/warnings-and-incidents/index.htm
• Social media updates on website: http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/warnings-and-incidents/social-media-updates.htm
• FireReady mobile apps – http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/warnings-and-incidents/cfa-on-your-mobile.htm
• Article containing info on One Source, One Message http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/407737/country_fire_authority_preps_bushfires_hp/

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• Tags: #smem #gov2au #em2au

Ahead of CITIZEN2012 in London, conference organiser Jeffrey Peel – with guest speakers Andy Williamson of Future Digital and David Moody of Kana – discuss building the democratic commons, including tools and trends in next-generation government/citizen engagement.

There is a great opportunity here: it’s not just about the obvious ROI and replacement of costly channels, it’s about engaging and listening in real ways that have never been possible before.

About Jeffrey Peel

Jeffrey is the Managing Director of Quadriga Consulting and the organiser of CITIZEN2012.  He has a well developed reputation as a specialist in research and evidence based consulting, and is a highly experienced digital communications professional. He has written thought leadership reports or created online web content for dozens of clients operating in the IT, telecommunications, business services and financial services sectors.  He has also undertaken project work for many early to mid-stage venture capital funded organisations.

About Dr Andy Williamson

Andy is an internationally recognised expert in digital strategy with an in-depth understanding of effective engagement and online democracy, as well as an experienced consultant and researcher focussing on social media, society and policy. His work is about educating, engaging and enabling; creating active citizens and connected government.

About David Moody

David is the Vice President of Solutions Marketing Worldwide for KANA, responsible for strategic solutions across all target markets including commercial and government. Formerly CTO and founding director of Lagan (acquired by KANA software in November 2010), David has a unique combination of strong technology, customer and commercial skills. KANA is the principal sponsor of CITIZEN2012.

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Episode links and resources

• Citizen 2012 conference

Want more links? Check out our Delicious!

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• Tags: #citizen2012

In this wide-ranging episode, Don challenges many assumptions such as the use of online/social tools; “public” vs “citizen” engagement; and the role of citizens as well as policy-makers in the co-design process.  Don also overviews the “Co-design Community Engagement Prototype” developed this year with Australian Federal and Local Government organisations.

I think there’s a growing awareness, especially among public servants, that the processes we have are not adequate – we need public engagement as a way of dealing with complexity, but it’s still perceived to be a risky business.

About Dr Don Lenihan

Don Lenihan is Vice President, Engagement at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa, Canada. He is an internationally recognized expert on democracy and public engagement, accountability and service delivery. From 2009 – January 2012, he led the Public Engagement Project (PEP), a research and capacity-building project involving some 500 public servants from nine federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments, and the Government of Australia.

Don is also the author of “Rescuing Policy: The Case for Public Engagement” , a new book published by Public Policy Forum, which is the result of the Public Engagement Project, a two-year dialogue and capacity-building project on public engagement that involved nine federal, provincial and municipal governments in Canada, the Government of Australia and some 500 public servants. Its premise is that as public policy issues are becoming increasingly complex, the process by which governments make decisions about them has not kept pace.

Don has over 25 years of experience in the field as a project leader, writer, speaker, senior government advisor, trainer and facilitator. Throughout his career, he has developed and led many research and consultation projects involving senior public servants, academics, elected officials, journalists and members of the private and third sectors. He is the author of numerous articles, studies and books, a former columnist with the Hill Times newspaper in Ottawa, and is a regular columnist for iPolitics. He earned his PhD in political theory from the University of Ottawa.

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Episode links and resources

• About Don Lenihan
• Public Policy Forum Canada
• Final report on the Australian Government’s Co-Design Community Engagement Prototype Building a Strategic Design Capacity for Co-Design
• Municipal Association of Victoria on the Co-Design Prototype project
• Don’s latest book “Rescuing Policy: The Case for Public Engagement”
• Interview with Tiago Peixoto on Participatory Budgeting
• Public engagement papers from the Public Policy Forum

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• Tags: #demopart #participation #engagement #codesign

In “Revolution @ State” Fergus Hanson – Visiting Fellow from The Brookings Institution – explores practical cases of what US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has called ‘creative diplomacy’ and 21^st Century Statecraft.

A useful reference for agencies of all sizes, this wide-ranging report describes how the US Department of State has infused the use of connective tech through all aspects of their mission in a whole-of-organization approach, from operational development through to public diplomacy.

It became apparent that the US State Department was in a league of its own… there was a real cultural difference I think where the Department had really taken a position on modernizing.

About Fergus Hanson

Fergus Hanson is the Director of Polling at the Lowy Institute and is currently a Visiting Fellow in e-diplomacy at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC. He has a Masters in International Law from the University of Sydney and his published thesis focused on regional stability in the Pacific.

Fergus worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) from 2004 to 2007. From 2005 to 2007 he served at the Australian Embassy in The Hague where he was responsible for Australia’s relations with five international legal organisations and domestic political issues.

Prior to joining DFAT he was a fellow at Cambridge University’s Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law. Fergus has also studied at Uppsala University.

Fergus was a visiting Vasey Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Pacific Forum from November 2010 to January 2011. He was awarded a 2011 Professional Fulbright scholarship to pursue further research on e-diplomacy and the use of opinion polling by foreign ministries at Georgetown University.

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Episode links and resources

• Revolution @ State: The spread of Ediplomacy – Report by Fergus Hanson
• US Department of State 21st Century Statecraft policy
• US Department of State Office of eDiplomacy
• Initiatives
  • Diplopedia wiki
  • Communities @ State blogs
  • Corridor
  • Virtual Student Foreign Service
  • Tech@State
  • TechCamp
  • Enterprise Search
  • Idea Exchanges
  • Virtual Presence Posts (VPPs)
  • Collaboration Clearinghouse

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• Tags: #ediplomacy

Amanda Eamich from the US Department of Agriculture joins us to share some insights into her approach to including new media as part of the communications mix for the Department.

I always stress that we have an “And / Also” approach – we’re not going to throw out talking to newspapers and radio – these channels are extremely important, particularly in the agricultural industry and communities.

Amanda also talks about how to infuse innovation, open government and new media channels into the broader activities of the Department:

We definitely think through the entire lifecycle before jumping into any new tool or service, just to make sure we understand it fully and how it will help us achieve whatever the particular objectives are.

About Amanda Eamich

Amanda serves the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the Director of Web Communications, Office of Communications. Here she manages the Department’s web site and new media operations and strategic planning. The policies and programs of the USDA impact the lives of Americans every day – from food, agriculture, and science to natural resources – and there is an ever-present opportunity to communicate our mission effectively using new media. New media provides an outstanding opportunity for USDA to connect with consumers, customers and employees in new and interesting ways on a wide variety of topics and issues.

Recent efforts include the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food social media outreach, MyPlate, Apps for Healthy Kids competition, Open Gov efforts and developing overall strategic guidance for a wide range of communication campaigns throughout the Department.

Prior to joining the Office of Communications, Amanda served as a press officer for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

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Episode links and resources

• USDA New Media Channels
• Energy Investments Map, Matrix and Tool
• USDA at 150 – information and sign up for the Historical Facts and Photo series
• Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge
• Apps for Healthy Kids Challenge and Game Jams that extended the conversation and expanded community of solvers
• Farmers market directory (also mobile optimized)
• USDA Results – example of “And/Also” approach of the standard 2-page PDF documents where key data points and accomplishments were extracted and paired with compelling photos from our the USDA catalog. Photos used throughout the Department, as Facebook cover, Flickr gallery
• “Think through the lifecycle” and “be prepared” – official one-page request form (AD-3022) that the USDA team requires that people think through before submitting new channel or tool requests
• Celebrating successes – a 2011 countdown with some favorites – new tools included!

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As the use of social and digital tools in the public sector increases, UK digital engagement advisor Steph Gray is helping to answer some of the knotty questions about how to maximise the value of digital engagement efforts and investment.  In March 2012, he launched the Digital Engagement Guide, a collection of ideas and practical help to use digital and social media in the public sector.

Digital engagement is about embracing the fact that these digital channels are interactive – that when you put something out there people reply to you: you need to answer questions, you need to respond to criticism, you need to engage in discussions that are already happening in places that you don’t control.

About Steph Gray

Steph is a digital engagement strategist and practitioner. In plain English: he writes digital strategies, manages projects, builds websites and delivers training and mentoring.

Steph was formerly Head of Digital Communications at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, leading a team managing corporate websites, digital engagement/social media, online public service delivery and internal digital channels. Under his leadership, the team earned a reputation across and beyond Government for practical innovation in support of the Department’s work, including pioneering approaches to online consultation, work with online communities and social media monitoring.

Steph is now a consultant, developer and coach to clients, helping them to use low-cost digital tools and techniques including social media to engage their audiences, work more collaboratively and save money. About half his work is still with UK central government. He also hosts a number of events aimed at digital practitioners, including MailCamp, a seminar on public sector email marketing and UKGovcamp, which brings together over 200 people interested in the public sector’s use of digital.

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Episode links and resources

• Digital Engagement Guide by Helpful Technology
• UK GovCamp as well as MailCamp and GrantsCamp
• Social Simulator
• Martha Lane Fox report Directgov 2010 and Beyond: Revolution Not Evolution
• UK Government G-Cloud service
• UK Government Digital Service

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