The UK and Australian governments yesterday signed a Memorandum
of Understanding on e-commerce, e-government and the co-operation
of the so-called Information Industries. It is the third e-commerce
MoU signed by the UK, following those signed with Singapore and
Hong Kong last year. Australia has released e-commerce joint
statements with the United States, Japan, China, the Republic of
Korea and Canada.
The areas of co-operation are:
- Promoting Coherent Co-regulatory Measures, including promoting agreement of harmonised codes of practice; mutual agreement of trust marks and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms;
- Policy Coordination and Mutual Recognition, including standards and guidelines, data protection, public key infrastructure, intellectual property rights, electronic transactions; electronic signatures and digital certification;
- Promotion of Cross-border E-Commerce, including through joint marketing and promotion projects and the development of enablers;
- Internet Measurements, including sharing knowledge of statistical indicators and measurements for e-commerce, e-government, and Internet take-up and inhibitors;
- E-Government, including privacy and trust, public consultation, take-up of e-government services, e-democracy, e-procurement and payment, re-engineering of back end processes and architecture implications;
- Industry Development, including role of government administration in acting as a catalyst to promote joint industry development in e-commerce and e-government infrastructure and applications; and
- Participation in International Fora, including cooperation in relevant fora to develop progressive market-based policies for the information industries and in particular to foster the growth of global e-commerce.
The agreement was signed by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts of Australia, Senator Richard Alston, and Patricia Hewitt, Minister of State for Small Business and e-Commerce for the UK. The e-Government Minister for the UK, Ian McCartney, who is currently in Australia, has also signed the Memorandum.
