Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition Liberal Senator for Victoria

SENATOR SCOTT RYAN

R E L E A S E

M E D I A

Mobile government a long way off

May 24, 2012

By the time the Labor Government formulates a mobile plan for its websites, the Apple iPhone will be almost six years old. Of the Governments most popular websites, the Bureau of Meteorology, Centrelink and the Australian Tax Office (Source: Alexa), none have comprehensive mobile sites. And the Governments flagship principle entry point for government services, Australia.gov.au, is only of use to those sitting at their home or work computer. An officer from the Governments IT overseer the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) told Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition Senator Scott Ryan there was no overarching approach to mobile- or tablet-compatible government websites. The AGIMO officer said he expected a whole-of-government mobile strategy to be only completed by the end of the year. He noted that of 50 or 60 government agencies that had responded to a recent AGIMO survey, only a quarter had mobile sites. Smartphones are not new, even tablets have been around for a few years, and take up has been strong. Banks, utility companies and real estate agents have all seen the value of providing mobile and tablet sites for their customers, so why hasnt the Government? Senator Ryan asked. Small business people should be able to call up tax information on the go, Senator Ryan said. Tradies on worksites would love to be able to plan their jobs and better see on their smartphones when the rain is coming, and young people are more likely to engage with government service providers if they relay information in an accessible way. The Gillard Governments obsession with the over-time and over-budget National Broadband Network has left the rest of its technology plans floundering and Government service delivery stuck in the dark ages. The matter came up on Wednesday afternoon in Budget Estimates in the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee.

Contact: Naomi Levin 0419 826 500