More than half of Australia's smallest businesses have used the Internet to gain access to Federal Government services, a study for the government has found.
Australia's federal and state governments are under fire for taking a blinkered approach to information technology spending - ignoring local companies and alternatives to Microsoft.
The Federal Government "will encourage trials of Open Source software within the framework of fit-for-purpose and value-for-money," according to its e-government strategy.
Weiterlesen: Open Source solutions backed in e-govt strategy document
The Australian UNIX and Open Systems User Group (AUUG) has welcomed the identification of Open Standards and Open Source as critical factors for the "Efficient Application of Technology" in the high level e-government strategy Better Services, Better Government, a media release from the group says.
The federal government has green-lit its agencies to continue trialling and implementing open-source solutions, as long as they meet "fit-for-purpose and value-for-money" criteria.