ABSTRACT
In Australia, as in other developed countries, Internet usage continues to grow. In 2000, 37% of all households were online (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000). It was estimated then that by the end of 2001 half of all Australian households would have Internet access at home. As of mid-2002, a report entitled Current State of Play released by the Australian Government’s central e-government agency, the National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE), showed that the percentage of households online had, as anticipated, grown to 52% of the total population. Furthermore, in recognition that many people use alternative environments to access the Internet-their place of employment, public kiosks and Internet cafes, for instance-the report registers that 64% of people aged 16 and over in Australia use the Net. The level of public uptake in Internet usage indicates that many Australians are now in a position to engage in political interaction online, be it by patroniz-
ing online government services or exercising their rights to political comment and input.
