The dynamic business process development framework to bridge the digital divide among the aboriginal community in Australia

The implementation of information systems in government organisations in Australia with specific reference to the aboriginal community is the major topic under study. This paper proposes a master plan entitled "Dynamic Business Process Development Network" showing the stakeholders and their inter-related activities. The proposed framework includes the development, training and maintenance of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and information systems for local communities especially for the Indigenous community. It also reviews the digital divide that exists between the Indigenous and nonindigenous sections of the population. Quite a few studies and reports have been published on this topic and the rationale of the study is due to lack of financial support, remoteness, education, and trained manpower in the Indigenous community. There are various recommendations from researchers and practitioners to address these shortcomings including community access centres, social inclusion, improving social capital and software packages that can provide custom solutions. However, unless more and more members of the Indigenous community have access to and use the Internet and ICT, the fundamental objective of the government's information systems implementation on communities will be lost. In order to bridge this gap the proposed framework attempts to enact as the integrated platform for the government organisations and other partners such as NGOs or public/private business sections to implement a dynamic business process model for social or community information development in the Indigenous community. The paper begins with the discussion of the importance of ICT in governance and its impact on the Indigenous community of Australia. It focuses on the gaps that exist with regard to its impact on the nonnative population in the country and its Indigenous population. A Dynamic Business Process Development Framework (DBPDF) is proposed to form the backbone of a system where effective implementation of ICT can benefit the Indigenous population of the nation. The paper concludes with a detailed delineation and the rationale behind the implementation of the DBPDF and recommendations for some future research directions.