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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-09 Daily Xml
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EZYREG

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:54): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Consumer Affairs a question regarding astroturfing and the EzyReg application.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Yesterday in this place, we heard about the very exciting new iPhone application for South Australians to register their light vehicles anywhere, any time, provided by Service SA, which has worked closely with an external vendor—I understand that would be Deloittes—to produce such an exciting new application. I was very interested to see that, before the application was even launched through iTunes, it had some 17 five-star out of five-star reviews. To put that in context, in the top 150 free applications currently on iTunes, iBook (Apple's own app) has 14 ratings, ninemsn has 24 ratings, Twitter has 33 ratings, realestate.com has 44 ratings, and the National Australia Bank has 73. None of them are across-the-board five-star.

I was also interested to see that once one looked at some of the names of these five-star rating reviewers, some of them actually correlated to public sector workers. Some of them worked in DTEI; some of them worked and were unassigned in other parts of the public sector. I noticed that one from MHRead was in fact a five-star rating on 6 June this year and reads:

In the interest of disclosure, my awesome team at Deloitte Online in South Australia built this app. However, I do love it, and I know that it will make everyone's life a little easier when the registration stickers are peeled off our windscreens for the last time. If you build online apps, and think that you could do better, come work for me. Twitter@mhread.

At least he disclosed. However, as I say, I suspect that there are perhaps a few public servants here who worked on this application or were in some way encouraged to review this application who had not disclosed, yet the names correlate. Since the application was launched, the reviews have been less glowing. I note that they have gone down from the across-the-board five-star rating, and we have a two-star rating:

Doesn't really do much beyond the ezyreg website. Numberplate scanning would be great. No iphone push notifications for when registration is due? Really should take better advantage of iphone features.

Also, somebody has suggested (they have given it a four-star rating) that it would be good for the renewal date to go onto your calendar as a reminder. Another person who has now given it three stars says:

...it has no ability to store client/car information or use push notifications as a registration reminder, which is disappointing...

There are many people who have now said that there are in fact some flaws in the registration EzyReg application. I do not have a problem with the EzyReg application; I think it is actually quite a good piece of work. What I do have an issue with is where I will now address my questions to the Minister for Consumer Affairs:

1. Does the minister have any awareness that public sector workers were encouraged to review this application before it was launched?

2. Were those reviews what I would consider astroturfing?

3. Was it, in fact, a fake grassroots movement giving glowing reviews of an application that does still need work?

4. If she does not condone this sort of astroturfing as standard government practice, what measures will she undertake to make sure it does not occur in the future?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:58): I find it truly exasperating. There are some responses that I need to put on the record in relation to these questions. You would think that here we have an initiative where we are getting rid of stickers that are not particularly good for the environment. The stickers consume considerable resources, and what we have done is found that these resources are unnecessary. It is no longer necessary to have stickers.

I think it is WA and other places in the world who no longer have these stickers, so you would think the Greens—considering all the paperwork that is involved—of anyone here in this place would get to their feet and say, 'Congratulations to the government. Fabulous! What a fabulous green initiative, getting rid of all of that sticky paper and other documents, all that correspondence.' You would think that congratulations would be in order for the government for getting rid of something that consumes resources unnecessarily: 'Well done!'

Well, not on your nelly. All we do is have them standing in this place whingeing and whining and carping. I find it astounding. When we introduce technological changes that assist in reducing paper, sticky glues and plastics, when we introduce IT apps and other initiatives like hotlines, when we introduce these initiatives and take advantage of technology to reduce the demand on our natural resources, you would think again that the Greens would leap to their feet and say, 'Congratulations government; congratulations for bringing about such a fabulous green initiative.' No, not on your nelly, no. Back on their feet they are again, whingeing—

Honourable members: Whining, carping.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —whining and carping, and everyone across there agrees with me. They are all joining in, because even the opposition agrees with me. Even the opposition agrees that the Greens are whingeing and whining and carping, so it is a disgrace. It is an absolute disgrace that the only contribution to these really valuable initiatives—that are quite green initiatives—they can make is when a few enthusiastic public servants go online. It is a handful—it is not hundreds or thousands: it is a handful—of enthusiastic public servants. God help us that they are enjoying their job and might be passionate about their job and what they do. No; up in this place, there is some conspiracy going on. There is some dreadful conspiracy that the government is behind. That is the innuendo. What absolute rubbish!

I am compelled, although her question was full of snide innuendo and opinion—I was forced to get to my feet today to defend our green initiatives and to defend our public servants, those who might—God forbid!—be enthusiastic and passionate about their work. They are individuals as well. They have every right to get online and express a view. No-one else has to disclose who they are and what their interests are. No-one else gets online and has to disclose. It is one rule for public servants and another rule—what: for the Greens? Until the Greens get up in this place and demand that everyone has to disclose their interests before they go online, I will not take this question on board. It is outrageous; absolutely outrageous.

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