The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) is a federal and state-funded body set up in July 2004. Accountable to the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council, it works to a yearly plan as agreed by ministers, and reports to them on its deployment. Its main aim is to spearhead an electronic health record across the country along with the supporting infrastructure.
Read more: Australian e-health framework calls for open standards
Perhaps it was the idea of an identity card hitting the headlines again, or maybe all the noise around e-health.
Whatever the reason, this is no short-term phenomenon: we have reached something of a critical point, as many organisations have no choice but to pull this out of the too-hard basket and take a serious stab at getting it right.
Australien führt ab dem 23. Oktober als eines der ersten Länder neue Reisepässe ein, in denen biometrische Daten festgehalten werden. Die Technologie dafür liefert der südkoreanische Elektronikkonzern Samsung. Wie das Außenministerium des Landes gestern in Canberra mitteilte, liegt das Auftragsvolumen bei 32,4 Millionen Dollar. Binnen der kommenden fünf Jahre sollen alle Australier den neuen Pass erhalten.
Read more: Australien speichert ab Oktober biometrische Daten in Pässen
IT strategy minister, Special Minister of State Eric Abetz announced the 10-point plan which is intended to bring public sector IT into line with the government's ambitious fourth term agenda.
Read more: Australia: Abetz announces overhaul for e-government
A significant challenge for government in developing electronic services is working out what specific services people need electronically and what the value is to both government and people in deploying these services. A new product of the Australian government, the Demand and Value Assessment Methodology, helps government agencies assess the relevance of the services they provide.