Patrick Callioni, who is manager of the finance and administration division of the Australian Government Information Management Office, told the government day attendees at Linuxworld 2006 conference in Sydney this week that getting open source implemented in government "isn't easy."

"Doing business with government is not easy -- be it proprietary software, open-source software, chairs, desks, anything," Callioni said. "It's particularly not easy with the Australian government as there are about 190 agencies, ranging from one person to 120,000 desktops."

Making the procurement process more complicated is the fact that the people purchasing the business are not necessarily the same people who assess and make decisions about the technology, he said. Callioni recommends that open-source suppliers "explore the twilight of business and government."

"To deal with government you have to be more business-like," he said. "If you're going to need something for 10 years you don't want to deal with a company that's here today and gone tomorrow. We're interested in value for money and long-term support, so if you're not offering that don't complain about me not buying your product."

Despite the stern criticism, Callioni encouraged more adoption of open source solutions within government, saying "our doors are open."