ITWire

A dictionary definition of reform would be along the lines of 'changing something in order to improve it', but in the political lexicon it can to be little more than a synonym for 'change'.

That said, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has welcomed the Victorian Government's intention to reform its eServices Panel. The panel is a list of companies that may bid for state government ICT services contracts.

Although the panel currently includes 188 companies (reduced from 271, effective on the first of this month), Gordon Rich-Phillips, the Minister for Technology, said there was a need for a broader panel to meet the government's requirements.

"Companies will have another opportunity to secure a place on the panel, which will result in greater choice and competition for departments as well as improved access for more small and medium enterprises to government business opportunities," he said.

AIIA national chair Philip Cronin (who is also Intel's general manager for Australia and New Zealand, according to the AIIA web site), said "AIIA has worked closely with every sector of the ICT industry affected by the recent review of the eServices panel."

Other changes proposed - see page 2.