December 2009

ALIA submission to Advisory Group on Reform of Australian Government Administration

Introduction
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) is the peak body representing the library and information services sector. It represents 6000 members, the library and information profession, Australian library and information services, and the interests of over 12 million library users.

ALIA's first two objectives are:

1. To promote the free flow of information and ideas in the interest of all Australians and a thriving culture, economy and democracy". Freedom can be protected in a democratic society only if its citizens have unrestricted access to information and ideas.
2. To promote and improve the services provided by all kinds of library and information agencies.

Libraries and information services are fundamental to effective modern public sector organisations. It is also vital that the public sector provides access to information contained in the published and documentary record in order to ensure enduring access.

ALIA's policy on access to government information notes:

Government information helps to educate people, stimulate progress and solve complex economic, scientific and social problems. With many new technologies, however, government information has expanded so quickly that basic principles regarding its creation, use and dissemination are in danger of being neglected and even forgotten.

This submission highlights three major issues-the importance of libraries and information centres in assisting high quality policy advice and service delivery, the need for whole of government approaches to information for an efficient and effective public service and the need to make government information widely available with web 2.0 technology to enable a high level of citizen participation in policy development a service delivery.

Click here to view the ALIA submission [ pdf 121KB ]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's discussion paper : http://www.dpmc.gov.au/consultation/aga_reform/discussion_paper.cfm

All submissions in response to the discussion paper are available here: http://www.dpmc.gov.au/consultation/aga_reform/submissions.cfm#listsubmissions