The Queensland Government'se-Democracy Agenda

Presentation to the5th International ITiRA 2003 Conference

Natalie CookManager e-Democracy Unit

Community Engagement DivisionDepartment of the Premier and Cabinet

• Queensland’s community engagement context

• e-Democracy Policy Framework

• e-Democracy initiatives– e-Petitions

– Internet Broadcast of Parliament

– ConsultQld & Get involved website

• Directions for e-democracy in Queensland

OVERVIEW

Community engagement: a definitionthe connections and interactions

between governments and citizens,

consumers and communities

Community engagement continuum

Information Consultation Active Participation

(Increasing level of citizen input and influence)

Global drivers and trends

• declining trust & confidence in govts• community complexity & diversity• pace of change and bridging the gap• govts do not have all the answers• expectations for govt efficiencies and

responsiveness• new technologies• changing governance

Integrated CE - Qld Govt:

Public Sector AgenciesImprovement Strategy•Embedded in policy

processes•Host of existing practices •New methods &

technologies

Executive Government• Community Cabinets• Ministerial Regional

Community Forums• Ministerial

representations• Advisory councils, boards

& committees

Parliament• Voting• Representations• Petitions• Delegations• Regional Parliament• Internet Broadcasting• Parliamentary

Committees

• Restoring Integrity Beattie Plan including the e-democracy trial

• Community Engagement Division including the e-Democracy Unit

• 1 of 5 Queensland Government priorities• Community Engagement Directions Statement• CE Improvement Strategy• Qld Communication & Information Strategic Plan• Realising the Vision• Queensland Public Service Charter

Community engagement in Qld

Internet access in Queensland homes

May 2001 May 2002 May 2003

47.6% 55.6% 63.1%

 Percentage of Qld adults

E-Democracy Policy Framework (Nov 2001)

Key Themes E-democracy within representative democracy Complementing existing forms of consultation Equitable online access Responsiveness, timeliness, facilitative Site management issues (privacy, security and

authentication)

e-Democracy Initiatives

• e-Petitions

• Internet Broadcast of Parliament

• ConsultQld - Online Community Consultation

• Get involved website

e-Petitionswww.parliament.qld.gov.au/petitions

• Statistics and Feedback• 33 e-petitions to date

• 5 current• 28 closed

• More than 9,850 signatures to date• Positive feedback – convenient, timely, view

Ministerial responses

• Evaluation

Internet Broadcast of Parliamentwww.parliament.qld.gov.au/broadcast/

Statistics

• 1 April – 12 December:

• Approx. 2,000 visits to the web site

• Over 4,000 requests for the broadcast – an average of nearly 60 requests per sitting day

• Ave. connection time 3 hours

ConsultQldwww.getinvolved.qld.gov.au

Statistics

• Middle Phase of Schooling

• 402 submissions:

• 271 public responses

• 131 private responses

• 236 submissions from students themselves

Some early indications:• Importance of publicity – online and

offline

• Using networks to promote issue

• Agency commitment

• Presentation of the issue – writing for the Web

ConsultQld

• Online Consultation List

Get Involved Website

• Broader content

• www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au

Future of e-Democracy in Queensland• Ongoing implementation of the 3 initiatives• Evaluation of the Internet Broadcast of

Parliament and ConsultQld initiatives• Review of the e-Democracy Policy

Framework• Monitoring international developments• Develop options for future e-Democracy

strategies and initiatives• e-Democracy beyond government

Research and Trends:• Policy Frameworks (OECD, IDEA, GOL)

• Political forms of democracy (participatory vs representative vs deliberative)

• Psychological and social participation issues (deliberation, group think, equity, education, trust, uptake)

• Technological issues (infrastructure, access, security, cost, privacy, authentication)

Monitoring international developments:• Webcasting• E-petitioning• E-voting• E-polling• Online consultation• E-public network, and• Other participation methods

Benefits:

• e-democracy as an enabler/facilitator

• strengthens civil society

• broader and more diverse reach

• test emerging issues

• support for young people

Risks/Challenges:• investment may outweigh the dividend• community expectations and capacity• internal public sector capacity• infrastructure and access• targeting the “information elites”

QUESTIONS?

Who to contact:• Dianne.Jeans@premiers.qld.gov.au

• Natalie.Cook@premiers.qld.gov.au

• Tim.Goodwin@premiers.qld.gov.au