In my last blog I argued that spatially enabling government was good politics. So hopefully many who are reading this will be asking the question “so why isn’t it happening?”
It is a good question and the answer is simple. Like most things you need a political champion to get things done. Currently, at a Federal level, there doesn’t appear to be one.
As a member of the Australian Government for nearly 12 years and as part of the Executive of Government throughout the last 3 years in Government I was very honoured to have been seen as Australia’s champion in that context.
It is particularly disappointing at this point in Australia’s development that the position of champion is currently vacant; as a fully spatially enabled society would help us through the financial and environmental challenges we currently face.
The frustrating aspect is that literally hundreds of billions of Australian dollars are currently being thrown at these issues and with an investment of only a few hundred million dollars these challenges could be addressed far more quickly and efficiently. Here is just one example:
Partly in response to the global financial crisis, the Australian Government established
Infrastructure Australia. Its role is to consider national infrastructure projects and make recommendations to government as to which ones should attract government funding.
The projects put forward include everything from major road and rail upgrades and developments to port facilities and communication networks - all eminently suitable and needed for Australia’s future development. But a project to accelerate the development of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure was considered by Infrastructure Australia and found not to fit the criteria for being an infrastructure project! How could that be?
Basically, in my view, there is a lack of understanding at senior political levels that infrastructure doesn’t have to be hard. They seem to think that it has to have concrete or bitumen or steel to be infrastructure.
But the reality is that soft infrastructure such as a NSDI will in fact facilitate the efficient development of the hard infrastructures. So what is missing?
It is political champions who can help overcome such illogical decisions. Unfortunately such champions have also been in short numbers globally, and it is incumbent on those in the profession and industry to find and educate some champions.
But that education will only be effective if it is done in political terms.
Politicians understand politics best and developing national spatial data infrastructures is good politics. A national spatial data infrastructure would assist in addressing those major challenges that governments face; helping to overcome such issues as social exclusion, climate change and financial crises. It can help facilitate economic development thereby improving the lives of citizens.
In other words, as I argued in my last blog, these outcomes are the very things that citizens want their political representatives to do something about; so it should be argued that it is also good politics to spatially enable society through e-government.
As result of the work I did as a champion within the Australian Government I was asked to assist the New Zealand Government to develop a value proposition and help raise the awareness of the importance and benefits of geospatial information at the senior levels of Government and in particular at the Ministerial level. That lack of awareness was something that was seen as a barrier to further growth and opportunities within the geospatial industry in that country.
In New Zealand I reinforced the point that a government that has a national spatial data infrastructure in place, and is truly spatially enabled, is a government ready and able to better govern its country. Which means its citizens will be the beneficiaries of better services, higher standard of living and a truly sustainable environment.
That’s what most people who stand for election want to achieve. That’s why spatially enabled government and society is also a political imperative.
And it is a political imperative that champions are found globally. The standards and interoperability projects that are needed within a country are also needed globally as we work on the challenges the earth faces. One country alone can’t solve the earth’s problems; the world in unison must do that. And global spatial data infrastructures can and will play a vital role.
Political decisions will have to be made to make that happen and we need global champions to argue for a spatially enabled society as a political imperative.
The Hon. Gary Nairn served as the Member for Eden-Monaro in the Australian Parliament from 1996 till 2007 including as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and as Special Minister of State. Prior to entering politics Gary enjoyed a 25 year career as a Surveyor, including 13 years in his own surveying and mapping business. He now operates his own consultancy business and can be contacted via email nairn@ozemail.com.au
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Comments
accessing the infrastructure
let us address the issue of Social Exclusion,say.a person is seeking help in this matter.unfamiliar, he throws a question onto the soft infrastructure.that question would be accepted right where it is, then the questioner must be taken by hand by the spatial exper, always kept in front communication and led to all options without letting him feeling put on.wait for answers while keeping in touch.repeat requests and remindings, till help arrives.and the questioner gets exactly the kind of help he wants.keep it simple, anyone willing to try this approach?how about training people to be good guides and mentors for this particular infrastructure?