Australia needs politicians smart enough to value spatial inofrmation to become champions of the need for a national spatial data infrastucture program.
Australia needs better Spatial Data Infrastructure to support Spatially Enabled Government. Achieving that would translate into better, more effient service delivery; and that's also good politics.
Understanding how to apply sound management practices to public sector spatial information is essential for evidence based policy development; and it can help win elections too.
Imagine a spatially enabled tax office that would have real-time information on owners, land identity, geo-coded address, interests and transactions as they occur - or a spatially enabled Centrelink which could minimise fraud and overpayments...
When it comes to the development of spatial information systems and technology, the role of government is crucial, as in most cases government holds the primary data upon which the industry will ultimately grow.
