Government 2.0 discussion opens up

Open government and what it should mean in the digital age has had a kick along in the UK, with the Government's appointment of internet founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee to advise on how to make government information more open and accessible. Read all about it on the UK Cabinet Office Blog (now there's an idea). This follows an already lively discussion there on how the UK Government might emulate the US data.gov initiative-"to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government"-which already has a catalogue of 30 datasets or links to information in government systems, and plenty of other ideas in the wings.

And here-hallelujah- Senator Kate Lundy (Labor ACT) has organised a Public Sphere event at Parliament House Canberra on 22 June on Government 2.0: policy and practice for Australia, provoking a lot of comment, ideas, and volunteers to speak. And hopefully some movers and shakers from within government at all levels to lend an ear.

Other developments here come in for positive attention in discussion in Canada about the need to get moving on a digital information action plan, including this that I hadn't seen before:

"In Australia, Senator Kim Carr, who serves as the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, has remarked that "to the maximum extent practicable, information, research and content funded by the Australian governments. . . should be made freely available over the Internet as part of the global public commons. This should be done while the Australian Government encourages other countries to reciprocate by making their own contributions to the global digital public commons."

Hear, hear.