The Queensland Government has launched its ICT Strategy 2013-17 Action Plan, following two ICT audits that found major problems in the State’s IT operations. The main areas for improvement covered by the Plan include the provision of effective digital services for their clients and Government, and the need for a transformed and capable workforce. The Action Plan includes a total of 78 actions, and the main projects earmarked for this year include a new Digital Economy Strategy, the creation of a Government wide social network platform and the development of security and risk evaluation tools. The Plan also attempts to ensure that “immediate action is being taken to stabilise ICT systems currently in use”.
The Queensland Government has also announced its intentions to keep the CIO position as well as the Queensland Government Office of the CIO, reports IT News.The CIO role will be advertised within the next few weeks. There has been speculation that the two would be dismantled since the removal of whole-of-government CIO Peter Grant and an announcement by the Director-General of the Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Andrew Garner, that the position would be reviewed.
Telstra has won a $457 million contract to build Government Wireless Network in Queensland, reports ZDNet. Telstra will also be responsible for operating and maintaining the network, at the cost of approximately $70 million per annum. The project has received budget funding of $57.4 million for 2013-14, with work to begin later this year.
The Department of Defence’s Chief Technology Officer Matthew Yannopoulos has signed on as CIO for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), reports IT News. He will replace retiring CIO Tony Kwan. Yannopoulos was appointed the first CTO of Defence in 2008, and worked at the Australian Taxation Office as Assistant Commissioner Integrated Design – Change Program prior to that. He will commence at DIAC from early October.
Ann Thorpe, the current Chief Finance Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is vacating her position. DFAT has begun searching for a replacement to oversee budget development, financial policy and treasury, and procurement functions. Applications close on 23 September 2013.
Victorian Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips opened a new cloud technology centre last week, to assist Government and private sector customers move software and IT services to the cloud, according to CRN. The centre, established by Kloud Solutions and Chamonix, forms part of the Victorian Government’s ICT Strategy.
Airservices Australia has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Desktop Modernisation Program. According to tender documents, it is looking for services to “analyse, plan, define, implement and potentially support an upgraded desktop computing environment that is based on at least Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010”. The proposal will consider the suitability of using next generation technologies. Submissions close on 20 September 2013.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has issued a Request for Tender (RFT) for the provision of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System. The System will consolidate 64,000 contracts across 13 teams, held in various applications including Excel, Access, Outlook and Word. The cost of the system is estimated to be around $100,000. Tender applications close on 17 September.
The Secretaries’ ICT Governance Board’s (SIGB) meeting communique from 1 August 2013 notes good progress in the implementation of the APS ICT Strategy 2012-15. The Board announced that a detailed report, with updates from lead agencies would be available later in the year. It also notes the ongoing rollout of the Parliamentary Workflow Solution, and the establishment of a new, three-year whole-of-government Volume Sourcing Agreement with Microsoft (VSA II).
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