Overcoming the barriers experienced by non-English-speaking background (NESB) communities in accessing Australian government information systems : the NESB model

Abstract

Australia is one of the most culturally diverse and prosperous societies in the world, and such heterogeneity or pluralism has both advantages and challenges. The Australian government must provide support to and for the integration of migrants, especially among those with a non-English-speaking background (NESB). Investments in information systems (IS) have resulted in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to raise public awareness of the country's policies, programmes and services. However, communication issues have recently emerged between the government's online IS and the NESB migrants and their communities. Based on their increasing significance in Australia's socio-economic and political landscape, it is necessary not only to identify and understand the needs of NESB migrants, but also to determine the barriers (both perceived and actual) that NESB migrants experience with regard to government online services (otherwise termed 'e-government'). The key findings of this study are as follows: There were three primary needs mentioned most often by the Arabic community members that participated in this study. These primary needs are: 1) greater usability of all online services; 2) simplified design of website, including basic instructions; and 3) provide online services in Arabic rather than just in English. Specific barriers to accessing the government online services have been identified by means of this research, including: the perceived complexity of the language (English) used for the online services, language use (services need to be provided in Arabic), age of users (older users tend to be less likely to use online services) and lack of trust in the online services (fear of others obtaining private information). The issue of usability was critical in the context of this study, as the assumption is that the government is not currently providing online services that are sufficiently usable by a majority of the non-English-speaking Arabic community. The respondents were clear that the barriers preventing them from successfully accessing the local government online services made it difficult to gain full benefits from those services. By developing a new theoretical framework directed at eliminating the barriers for online government service usage by NESB community members, an NESB model that emphasises user-centricity is proposed. The framework combines several key themes: barriers to access, fit, usability, needs and computer/Internet skills. Interview findings involving several Arab migrants revealed that language and low computer skills are among the reasons why many NESB immigrants are discouraged or do not initially use government online services. The study recommends that heterogeneous countries such as Australia need to implement ICT-based or e-government policies, programmes and services that reflect culture and language sensitivity in order to effect meaningful and effective migrant integration. Further research implications are also cited.

Date of Award	2013
Original language	English