Motherhood in Australia

Though most women have children as a goal in their life plan, many choose different ways of integrating them into their day-to-day living. What are the real reasons behind choosing what a Mum does with her time during the early child bearing and rearing years?

Privacy & Trust

This discussion forum sets out to generate opinions on a new approach to trust and privacy in an era of accelerating technological change. We are seeking input from a wide range of interested people. The current thinking on this project is set out in a working paper developed for the Privacy & Trust Partnership and discussed at a workshop on "Formulating a New Approach to Privacy and Trust in the Information Age", held in Sydney on 4 December 2007 at the State Library of New South Wales.

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This discussion forum sets out to generate opinions on a new approach to trust and privacy in an era of accelerating technological change.

eHealth Records – Where Are They?

We have been talking eHealth records for years.  Almost worldwide, the topic is treated by many in the health informatics arena as a self‑evident necessity, by some health service providers as an investment and re‑training imposition with little direct return to their practices and by health consumers with suspicion. There appear to be countless reasons for this impasse, in Australia as elsewhere. 

National Policy for Innovation

Open Forum would like to hear your thoughts on the recently proposed National Innovation Policy (NIP), the national agenda for a more innovative Australia. Your responses will help formulate future steps and activities the Society for Knolwedge Economics (SKE) will be undertaking in furthering Australia’s Innovation Agenda. 

Shaping government policy: The Australian Government Consultation Blog

Would you respond to a government online consultation on the subject of interest to you, if you were aware of it? What expectations would you have from such a consultation? What features and functionality would you like to see? Would you provide your real contact information on registration? Have your say in an open discussion about the proposed Australian Government Consultation Blog.

Spatial Data

SYDNEY – As the Surveyor General of NSW, I am pleased to introduce the first of a series of discussion forums relating to spatial information. Over the next twelve months, with the assistance of Open Forum, we will initiate a series of conversations relating to spatial information.

Work / Life Balance

Many of us regard technological developments and innovations as having a positive impact on our lives. Extending the capacity of software, hardware and machinery has in lots of ways improved the quality and efficiency of our day-to-day living, but has it really offered us more freedom, or just meant we are now able and pressured to squeeze more into the same amount of hours per day?

Business Regulation

Australia is one of the most regulated socio-economic environments on the planet, making it also one of the most persistent battle-grounds between business and governments in trying to reduce the regulatory constraints on business performance. Although some of the regulatory constraints are introduced with the view of positively influencing business risk management practices, the number of regulatory actors and related pressures on business is increasing requiring ever more structural adjustment by affected businesses and sectors.

Productivity and Competitiveness

One of the key issues facing organisations and developed societies in the post-industrial age is increasing productivity in order to meet the demands of the changing global economy. There are calls to lift Australia's productivity to the top five in the world by 2012.

Innovation in Australia

As in most advanced capitalist economies, innovation in Australia is primarily defined narrowly as the application of scientific knowledge or radical technological change. But this is at odds with the reality of innovation, which is more likely to involve sustained, incremental improvements in products and processes, rather than technological breakthroughs. It is also likely to be driven by the need to solve customer and market problems more imaginatively than competitors.

Health & Wellbeing

Australians are now living longer than at any other stage in history. At the same time, our society has been burdened by a dramatic increase in chronic disease. In 2005, it was estimated that 77% of Australians are living with a long-term chronic condition.