Information is the foundation of our society, carrying with it the power to enhance economic, cultural and personal development through individual and collective innovation and enterprise.

We must ensure that all Tasmanians have rapid and reliable access to global and local information as a means to maintain our quality of life, nourish our democratic society, and increase our competitiveness into the future.

The need for Tasmania to embrace the information society is recognised in the Government's key strategies for the state. Learning Together, the State Government’s vision for education, training and information into the 21st century, and Tasmania Together, the Government’s vision for the future development of the state to 2020, both state that access to information is an implicit requirement for achieving their goals.

Informing Tasmanians will contribute to the Tasmanian public having full and equitable access to a wide range of information resources, services and technologies, together with opportunities for training and support in using them.

Informing Tasmanians provides a framework for the future of information provision, access and use in Tasmania and is underpinned by the fundamental belief that information will continue to be a key factor in the economic, social, and cultural wellbeing of our state.

I would like to thank the organisations who took part in the development of this strategy. Their generous participation and contribution of views on the value and uses of information have helped formulate this vision for Tasmania's future as an information society.

I would also like to acknowledge the staff from my Department, particularly the State Library of Tasmania, for their contribution to the development of Informing Tasmanians.

I look forward to seeing Tasmania grow and prosper as a society that uses, values and has equitable access to quality information as a result of the implementation of Informing Tasmanians.

Hon. Paula Wriedt MHA
Minister for Education

References

Department of Education, Tasmania, 2000, Learning Together : a Vision for Education, Training and Information into the 21st Century

Tasmania Together Community Leaders' Group, 2001, Tasmania Together.