Queensland ushers in new ICT era

The Queensland Government has launched new strategies to promote more centralised and efficient use of ICT across the state.

Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, kickstarted the whole-of-government strategies at an Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) event in Brisbane on September 9. Toward Q2 through ICT is a five-year plan designed to improve the government’s use of ICT and information management in order to drive better services to residents. It is broken into four categories: Accessibility, efficiency, effectiveness and industry/government partnership.

Key highlights include: Building easier to access, customer-centric services through ICT; reviewing and centralising ICT platforms, operations and suppliers across all agencies and reducing costs; formulating and standardising whole-of-government directives and governance; and improving government/industry relationships. Annual reports on progress will be released by the Queensland CIO, who will be working under a new formal charter.

The state government is also looking to develop an ICT management and skills framework and methodology and develop a shared utility approach to ICT resources.

The complementary plan, ICT for tomorrow’s Queensland, promotes the increased use of technology in the systems, processes and practices of the state’s businesses. Both strategies directly support the Queensland Government’s Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland plan, the state’s vision for 2020, announced in June.

In a statement, AIIA chairman, John Grant, applauded Queensland’s recognition of the contribution ICT could make to its economic and social future and said he was looking forward to working more closely with agencies.

Intermedium’s head of consulting, Kevin Noonan, extolled the strategies over the Federal Government’s Gershon Review, as well as NSW’s ICT plan.

“The Gershon Review was right for its time but the world has moved on,” he said. “This plan brings together all the key issues in a succinct and clear way, mapping out strategies and allocating responsibilities to particular agencies.”

Although the timelines were ambitious, Noonan claimed they were achievable. However, he raised concerns over funding. The plan’s implementation document states that funding is limited and the government will have to generate savings for reinvestments into priority projects.

“It would have been good to see some statements on how the government would approach funding for implementation,” he said.

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