plp15

Thank you, Stephen and Lindasy, for promoting "blogs" as a means of government-citizen communication. This has the potential to be a major force in Government in the future. However, there are multiple issues that need to be addessed.

First is to get our Internet out of the stone age. In 1996 I purchased my first DSL connection in California. I had a choice of 3 service providers, all offering an entry-level service for about $(US)30 per month. After selecting a supplier, the next day a tech was at my premises to install it. It ran faster than my current Aussie "high level" DSL. There were NO download limits, and always an immediate response to any outages. 12 years later, which is an eternity in high-tech time frames, in Australia, I am paying much more and getting a lot less. We need true competition in this field. If the only way to get it is to split Telstra, then that needs to be very high on the Agenda.

Aussie usage of the Internet is still abysmal. Business doesn't know its' value, or how to use it.

Another issue in "government by blog" is how do we preserve Democracy. Most blogs have techniques to avoid mechanised blog entries - I note that none are used on this site. Then, there needs to be some means of voluntary personal identification, to manage the potential influence of pressure groups.

Many more issues will crop up as this evolves. But it is truly a worth-while effort.

Meanwhile, can the Federal group working on citizen Rights please set up a blog? That badly needs to canvas public opinion.