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In other government ICT news this week, 07 January 2013

by Intermedium •
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The Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) has moved its website and phone app onto separate servers after its emergency information platforms malfunctioned due to a substantial traffic increase during the State’s recent heatwave. The State’s Fire Services Commissioner told the Sydney Morning Herald that “significant work” has been undertaken since, and the website should be able to handle rising traffic in the upcoming period of severe fire danger.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has completed its transition out of the IT outsourcing agreement previously in place between IBM and Medicare. The Department is now responsible for all applications and IT services previously covered by the agreement. The smooth transition was enabled by a close working relationship with IBM, with the firm providing ‘knowledge transfer’ workshops for DHS staff, a government spokesperson told IT News. The handover took effect from 1 November 2012, prior to the expiration of the IBM contract on 31 December 2012.

The Queensland Government has shortlisted three consortia  to complete its wireless network project under a managed services arrangement: Telstra (including Motorola Solutions Australia), Broadcast Australia Infrastructure Holdings (including Airwave Solutions and Leighton Communications) and Queensland Wireless Network Consortium (including Harris Corporation, CSC and Brookfield Infrastructure). The successful applicant is expected to be selected midway through 2013. The $567 million project is aimed at improving communication between public safety agencies, with a digital radio voice and narrowband data communications network to replace the analogue radio networks.

Western Australia’s Department of Planning has approached the market for a Human Resources and Payroll Solution. The tender is restricted to suppliers on the state-wide Finance, Human Resources and Payroll Solutions panel and closes on 15 January, 2013.

The ACT Auditor-General’s 2011-12 Financial Audits have raised concerns about the security of data on hospital emergency and elective surgery waiting times, as well as risks to the Cashlink system used to process payments to some public sector agencies. The Audits identified understated records on waiting times and inappropriate user access to the Cashlink system.

The South Australian Government is undertaking a $6.14 million project to install mobile data terminals in the state’s 335 ambulances that will provide high-speed communications to crew, including clinical guidelines and real-time patient information. The project will be completed by April 2013.

The Express Plus Senior app is the latest smartphone accessible release from DHS, and “makes it easier to travel and work while receiving the Age Pension”, according to Minister for Human Services Kim Carr. The app allows users to claim advance payments, request a Centrelink statement, report income, subscribe to and access online letters, and capture and upload documents.

The NSW Police Force has approached the market for an Integrated Information Management and Analysis System, with the request for tenders (RFT) closing at 9 am on 1 February 2013, as well as content workflow software for the automation of HR forms with workflow integrated with SAP, closing at 10 am on 31 January 2013.

The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) has launched its new website.

The winning apps for the NSW Government’s $20,000 health apps competition are:

  1. My Patient List, providing clinicians with mobile access to patient lists and real-time test results;
  2. Breathe Right, providing information on pollen and temperature changes;
  3. Safe Medication Management and Independence for the Visually Impaired, providing text-to-speech assistance in taking medication; and
  4. The Grey Book, aiding over-50s in managing their health outcomes.

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has launched its new NSW Rego iPhone app, which allows customers to check and renew their registration on the move.

The Victorian Government has announced a new office of the Privacy and Data Protection Commissioner as part of its reforms to data-security privacy legislation. The new office will combine the functions of the Privacy Commissioner and the Commissioner for Law Enforcement Data Security, and will be responsible for implementing and monitoring a new Victorian Protective Security Policy Framework (VPSPF).

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