Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

Local Government and the Internet

Communities throughout Australia are rapidly becoming aware of the potential for online services and the Internet. At the 1996 National General Assembly of Local Government, concern was expressed that Australia, in the very near future, could be divided into 'information rich' and 'information poor' communities - those with access and the capacity to use the technology and those without.

Research indicates that councils, particularly in rural and regional Australia, are acutely aware of the need to gain access to online services for their own needs, as well as assisting broader access within their local communities.

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has therefore identified the need to implement a strategy which will promote and coordinate electronic information exchange primarily within local government and between local government, external organisations, the community and ultimately, the world.

This strategy has been developed through the Australian Local Government Information Network (ALGIN) project, managed by ALGA and funded by the National Office of Local Government under the Local Government Development Program. Its aim is to implement a national network to promote and coordinate the efficient exchange of information electronically between local government associations, individual councils, regional groupings of councils, other spheres of government, business and the community.

The shared information will be used, among other things, to identify and promote best practice in council management. It is the overall aim of this project to have at least eighty per cent of councils in Australia connected to the Internet with fully trained staff to operate the system by 1998. To achieve this, a number of strategic goals were set, the first of which is development of the Local Government Electronic Information Strategy (LGEIS).

In conjunction with local government associations, councils and other stakeholders, ALGA identified national electronic information issues and priorities for local government and developed a strategy that ensures local government (and people interested in local government) have access, through an integrated electronic network, to Australian local government information.

LGEIS aims to guide the development of electronic communication by local government across Australia in a way which is most effective for councils, their associations and peak industry bodies.

The strategy highlights the need for a concerted focus on a number of key issues including:

• cooperation and coordination;
• policy;
• management;
• planning;
• innovation;
• people; and
• micro-economic reform.

The Strategy has now been sent out to all councils, accompanied by an information and training guide, Councils and the Information Superhighway: A travel guide to the Internet for Australian local government. This guide has been designed by ALGA to provide councils with an introduction to the issues surrounding electronic communication, as well as advice on pursuing connection and implementation.

It covers such topics as the why, where and how to get connected, what options are open to councils, what decisions need to be made, advice on evaluating Internet service providers, and so on. Additional copies are available by contacting ALGA on (02) 6281 1211.

The final component of this project is the Australian Local Government Information Network (ALGIN) Website on the Internet. The ALGIN site, which can be found on the Web at http://www.algin.net.au, has been developed to act as an 'electronic roadmap' to local government resources on the World Wide Web. This involves the construction and maintenance of a series of links to other sites, based on the philosophy of open public access.

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