Australia, United Kingdom Sign E-Cooperation Pact

By Patience Wait, Staff Writer


NOV. 20 ? The United Kingdom and Australia have signed an agreement on e-commerce, e-government and cooperation of the two countries' information industries.


The memorandum of understanding defines several areas for coordinated efforts, including:


* Promoting regulations that harmonize codes of practice, agreements on trust marks and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms;


* Coordinating policies and mutual recognition, such as standards and guidelines, data protection, public-key infrastructure, intellectual property rights, electronic transactions and signatures and digital certification;


* Promoting cross-border e-commerce, such as joint marketing and promotion projects and developing enablers;


* Establishing Internet measurements, such as sharing knowledge of statistical indicators and measurements for e-commerce and e-government;


* E-government issues, including privacy and trust, public consultation, pick-up of e-government services, e-democracy, e-procurement and payment, re-engineering of back-end processes and architecture implications;


* Developing industry, including the role of government as a catalyst to promote joint industry development in e-commerce and e-government infrastructure and applications;


* Participating in international meetings, including cooperating to develop progressive, market-based policies for information industries and fostering the growth of global e-commerce.


This is the third e-commerce agreement the United Kingdom has entered. Last year, the government signed agreements with Singapore and Hong Kong. Australia has released e-commerce joint statements with the United States, China, the Republic of Korea and Canada.