From:   	Chair - Local Government & XML ZIG 
Date sent:      Fri, 8 Sep 2006 16:12:35 +0000

13:43 Fri 08 Sep 2006					REF:61C1BAN2   
						Y/R: EasyBiz Consortium   
TO:	Brad WYNTER				cc	John FRANCIS   
	Manager Organisation Support			Director Economic Development   
	EasyBiz Technical Development Group		EasyBiz Members   
	EASYBIZ 32 COUNCIL CONSORTIUM 			EasyBiz Interested Parties   

	MELBOURNE AGE EASYBIZ ARTICLE & VIC YOUTH INTITIATIVE

Brad - Thank you for a copy of the article  "Power to the People" by    
Lia TIMSON published in the Melbourne Age on Tue 05 Sep 2006 -   
as the URL is very long the link will be provided by 09:00 Mon 11 Sep    

Lia mentions 8 Councils around Australia including two, Warringah &    
Pittwater, in the NSW Northern Beaches as well as the segment on   
the Victorian 32 Council EasyBiz Consortium.   

However this is the concern.  Many Councils applied for funds from   
the AusIndustry $ 50 Million and have developed Regulation Reduction   
software - many overlapping each other   
Ref EasyBiz Specification 29 Related Initiatives   
  
Few if any have looked beyond Regulation Reduction aspect of the    
AusIndustry Funding Grant to provide "improved opportunities for small    
and home-based businesses, and the potential for application nationally."   

Lia also mentioned in her article that the Government has funded 762   
Electronic projects at a cost $ 321 Million.   

It may be "Power to the People", however can we afford to keep borrowing    
to pay for projects like EasyBiz which only look at one aspect of the    
AusIndustry Grant Regulation Reduction by placing 25 forms on a    
Central Hub ?   

If those forms have been defined, they can be placed on the Web site   
for each Council and integrated into the back-end software once and   
once only.   

The Hub will cost each Council a lot of money each year to fund the   
Hub running costs and conversion costs.   

The Tradegate Hub developed by a Consortium of Customs, Qantas and    
6 original SME Association Stake-holders cost the members a lot of    
money for a Centralised System proposed in 1989 and is still not  
functioning properly.   

The Victorian Department of Education has just published 12 tenders   
as a "Youth Transition Support Initiative"   
   
These 12 regions cover 28 Councils many of whom are the in EasyBiz   
Council Consortium.   
   
No doubt judging by the content of the Dep Education Tender, it will    
require a Hub to co-ordinate the case management of the perceived   
1400 Clients in the 12 regions   

As I have worked for over 30 years in the Computer Industry and   
left the last two multi-national Computer Companies over Business   
Ethics issues, I tend to be a Poacher turned Gamekeeper rather 
than a whistle-blower.   

As I stated in the email to Neil HOCKING Chairman EaszyBiz 05 Sep 2006,
the Computer Industry is unethical some of the time.   

The CIT Industry abides by the Law by endorsing the Maxim "Buyer  
Beware" rather than considering Social Obligations particularly when  
the Buyer is funded by the Tax-payer.   

NEXT STEPS   

John FRANCIS the Director of Economic Development has been copied  
in on this email as he will have the Public Authority to place a Stay  
on this tender.   

A Public tender of this size and magnitude which affects at least 32    
Councils cannot receive an adequate response in 3 weeks.   

The 2nd and 3rd aspects of the EasyBiz $ 6.2 Million AusIndustry  
Funding  Grant have to considered and included in the tender.   

Those aspects are:   

1	"improved opportunities for small and home-based businesses,   

2	and the potential for application nationally."	   

The Economic Development issues for funding the on-going costs of    
the EasyBiz Hub also have to be considered as part of the Tender   

Yours sincerely   


Stephen GOULD
Chair
Local Government & XML Special Interest Group
OPEN INTERCHANGE CONSORTIUM

E:	sggould@oic.org
M:	0416-009-468
W:	Local Government & XML Special Interest Group

On 6 Sep 06, at 11:04, Brad Wynter wrote:   

> http://www.theage.com.au/news/wireless--broadband/power-to-the-people/20   
> 06/09/04/1157222068989.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2   
>    
> Warm Regards   
>    
> Brad Wynter   
> Manager Organisation Support