The entire board of NBN co has offered to resign, reports Fairfax. The board submitted their resignations to new Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is expected to make a decision “early next month”. NBN Chief Executive Mike Quigley resigned in July 2013.
A report by the Victorian Auditor-General, John Doyle, has concluded that the Department of Education needs to develop an information strategy. The report found that the absence of a strategy has led to an inconsistent approach in managing information, including unreliable data collection methods and controls, a lack of information transfer between early childhood and school sectors and a lack of access to important data. “These weaknesses pose serious questions about the reliability of the information used and reported publicly from them,” Doyle said. He recommended that the Department adopt system-wide controls and develop a detailed project plan for the implementation of an information strategy.
Victoria Police has published its Annual Procurement Plan for 2013-14 which cites a number of ICT projects. The Department intends to approach the market for External Email Filtering Managed Services, a Terminal Emulator for Desktop PCs and Livescan Digital Fingerprint Devices during this financial year. The refresh of Victoria Police’s existing $560,000 contract with CenITex for external email filtering managed services is part of a widespread overhaul of the agency.
Victoria Police has also published its Annual Report for 2013-14. The report gives details of its Policing Information Process and Practice Reform Program that aims “to provide police with the ability to access information they need securely, where and when they need it”. Phase one of the program includes a review of Police systems and processes. Other upcoming projects include the development of a new system for managing investigation records and the maintenance of the existing Law Enforcement Assistant Program (LEAP) and Interpose systems.
The former Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) has released its annual report for 2013-14. The report focuses on the NBN, spectrum restacking and further funding for community radio and television. It also states plans to reduce the size of the Department due to the near completion of the digital services programs to roll out digital television and radio across Australia.
The Department of Finance has announced the addition of nine suppliers to the Data Centre as a Service (DCaaS) Multi Use List (MUL) for cloud and cloud-like services. The MUL, limited to contracts of $80,000 and terms of up to 12 months, has been in operation since October last year with its expiration date in October of next year. Finance previously added eight new suppliers to the list in June. The new additions brings the total number of suppliers to 66. Recent additions include:
- Fujistsu;
- Verizon;
- Magnetized Markets;
- NTT;
- Open Windows;
- PretaWeb;
- XVT Solutions;
- GovSource; and
- Yarris.
The former Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has signed a $21.6 million contract with Canberra Data Centres for the provision of data centre facilities. The ten-year contract replaces a $5.2 million contract also signed with Canberra Data Centres that is due to expire in October. Leading supplier on the mandatory Data Centre Facilities Panel, Canberra Data Centres has also recently secured contracts with the former Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for $1.9 million and $4 million respectively.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has signed a $20.1 million contract with CAfor computer software. The three-year contract began in June and follows a number of other software deals signed by DHS this year, including a $6.1 million deal with Software AG and a $5.6 million deal with IBM for software licensing.
The NSW Department of Finance and Services has released a ‘Data and Information Custodianship Policy’. The Policy defines “a set of principles for the management and maintenance of the State’s core data and information assets”. The Policy was outlined as a key initiative in the 2012 NSW ICT Strategy as a way of supporting the way Government administers and uses data and information. The Policy outlines the need for a data custodian to hold responsibility for the acquisition, maintenance and distribution of data and information.