NSW opposition: Govt 'doesn't get' IT

In a blog posting today, NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell slammed the state government, claiming that it has missed the opportunity to use IT to "revolutionise" the delivery of its services.

"The NSW Labor Government after 14 years in power just doesn't get it," O'Farrell said in the Microsoft hosted "Government Affairs blog".

"I'm a believer in the power of IT improving the relationship between government and people — I've had a website since 1998 and these days I'm an active tweeter," O'Farrell wrote to establish his credentials.

The opposition leader bemoaned the lack of online transactions for government services like public transport ticketing and advocated the development of a "one-stop" government website.

"That means investing in IT to allow the government to act as one coordinated organisation," suggested O'Farrell, using the example of a consumer renewing a fishing licence and a driver's licence on the same website to illustrate his utopian vision.

"The great misconception is that IT is simply a way to replicate offline transactions — online — at a more efficient and cheaper cost. However, it's actually an opportunity to rethink how we transact in the first place," he added, claiming that a "one-stop" website for transactions would make NSW a "smarter" state.