Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 15 April 2008 17:53
IT Policy -
Government Tech Policy
Page 1 of 3
The Australian Federal Government’s cost-cutting ‘razor gang’, led by
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner, wants to slash Government ICT costs.
UK expert Sir Peter Gershon has been brought in to do the job, and even
he’s pitching in, asking that his remuneration be paid instead to
charity.
Australia’s Federal Finance and Deregulation Minister, Lindsay Tanner, is bringing in a
UK expert “to lead an independent review of the Australian Government's management of information and communication technology (ICT).”
It’s an attempt to either seriously rein in Government ICT spending, or achieve much more value for the money currently spent, depending on the review’s findings.
In to head the project is Sir Peter Gershon, a former Chief Executive of the UK Treasury’s Office of Government Commerce, who has undertaken several major strategic reviews for the UK Government on procurement including ICT and public sector efficiency.
As a result of the reviews conducted by Gershon, the UK Government is estimated to have achieved an £23 billion in budget savings.
Amongst Gershon’s many illustrious achievements in the business and technology sectors, Gershon is currently Chairman of the General Healthcare Group, Premier Farnell plc, Symbian Ltd. and Vertex Data Science Limited.
The Federal Finance Department says that the ICT review “aims to identify ways in which the Australian Government can strengthen the whole-of-government management of ICT and maximise the benefits from ICT to drive greater efficiency and better services.”
In addition, the review will also “examine the way in which agencies manage ICT investments, including maintenance, intra-agency links, development and staffing.”
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