NSW government asks industry to help reform $2 billion tech spend

THE O'Farrell government is on track to deliver on its promise to reform NSW's public sector ICT industry, worth around $2 billion per annum.

NSW Finance and Services Minister Greg Pearce. Picture: Alan Pryke Source: The Daily Telegraph

It has come good on a pledge while in opposition to work closely with the private sector to form a new governance model that will support a whole-of-government ICT strategy. The governance model will be unveiled in the coming weeks, NSW Finance and Services Minister Greg Pearce told a gathering of local ICT industry heavyweights and government chief information officers at Parliament House in Sydney.

The forum, which saw officials from various government departments and agencies mingle with IT vendors, was organised less than 100 days since Labor was demolished at the March 26 poll.

Crucially, three key stakeholders in the state budgetary process took time out on a sitting day to attend the event -- Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner, Treasurer Mike Baird and Mr Pearce.

Mr Pearce outlined three main areas that will underpin the government's push to "put ICT front and centre of government". They include improving service delivery, better targeted ICT investments and improving communications with industry.

"The NSW government ICT strategy will be underpinned with several key principles," he told participants who included Department of Education CIO Stephen Loquet, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Catherine Burn, IBM Australia boss Andrew Stevens, Telstra Business group managing director Deena Shiff and outgoing Australian Information Industry Association head Ian Birks.

"We want to better align service delivery objectives to improve the quality and responsiveness of government services.

"(We want) to facilitate sustainable efficiency gains through strategic and targeted ICT investment and to interact better with industry and the research sector.

"These core principles will support our vision to put ICT front and centre of government," Mr Pearce said.

Standards and methodologies to guide ICT decisions, procurement and implementation practises would be developed to ensure every department and public servant sang from the same hymn sheet.

The consolidation of business processes and systems such as finance, email and other desktop applications was on the cards.

The government was working on a framework for agencies that would guide and align their individual ICT investment strategies with broader government service delivery objectives.

Mr Pearce said the government would set unambiguous service delivery goals which will determine the direction for ICT at whole of government and cluster level.

"We will define the strategic direction for ICT so it's clearly understood within government and by industry, framing it for the long term rather than budget cycle horizon.

"We will align ICT across government with centrally determined priorities and policies and we will build strong links between specialist ICT governance arrangements and government innovation frameworks such as the NSW Innovation Council.

"And as well we will align shared and corporate services and reform government arrangements to drive consolidation and simplification of core services," he said. "(But) none of this can be achieved without an overarching governance framework."

His remarks were consistent with goals outlined to The Australian while he was opposition finance spokesman. In an interview in early March, he flagged plans to form a single, high-level body to ensure that "long-term planning and capital investment decisions are based on lifecycles not annual budgets".

The audience hung on every word as Messrs Pearce, Stoner and Baird took turns to deliver their speeches. Even the bells ringing to call members to the Chamber did little to distract them.

Deloitte practice leader John Azarias opened the proceedings, dubbed Strategic ICT Forum, followed by Finance director-general Michael Coutts-Trotter.

It was a golden opportunity, a momentous occasion, as one participant described the event.

"The fact that they got this event off the ground a few months after the election says a lot," he said.

"Industry has found it difficult in the past to engage with the previous government ... this is a sign that the new government is open to ideas and collaboration."

theaustralian.com.au