Queensland software industry sour on Government games focus instead of NBN

Stan Beer
Sunday, 25 July 2010 23:08

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The peak body for the software industry in Queensland has issued a broadside at the head of the state Government for neglecting the important business areas of IT including the NBN in a speech focusing on the relatively insignificant games sector. Software Queensland also criticised the Bligh Government for ignoring its advice on strategy and neglecting SMEs.

Software Queensland has issued a release expressing disappointment at the Premier Anna Bligh’s address to approximately 800 ICT Industry attendees at the annual AIIA/ACS luncheon on Thursday 22nd July at the Brisbane Convention Centre.

“Despite being granted an incredible opportunity to win over an industry which involves approximately 70,000 employees, 6,000 employers, and generates over $29B per annum in revenues, the Premier chose to spend more than 10 minutes of her address extolling the virtues of the Queensland Games sector which employs less than 1000 staff, and is at best a boutique sector,” Software Queensland said in its statement.

“Details regarding the NBN rollout were sparse other than 3 Queensland sites being nominated for rollout.

“Delegates were underwhelmed by the lack of vision and inspiration provided in the speech.
Credit must however be given to the Premier for her references to the causes of the Health Payroll debacle, and her referencing of  the Auditor General’s report which cited people management shortfalls rather than software and hardware issues as the root cause of the failure. However, there was an undercurrent of blame with both the Vendor and the Technology that was of concern.

“This led to a further admission of shortcomings and a consequential review of Corptech’s functions, which smelt strongly of a failure of shared services as a practical operating model with mega agencies such as Health.”

In its release, Software Queensland implied that the state Government had ignored its advice with regard to implementing its failed shared services strategy.

“SQ recalls the plethora of advice provided to the State Government from the ICT industry which advised against embarking on a shared services model across all agencies in the Queensland Government at the outset of this initiative, and the fact that this advice was ignored,” its statement read.

“With regards to the good intentions of growth, development and nurturing of the ICT industry in Queensland, scarcely a strategy was mentioned.”

Software Queensland also lashed out at the state Government for ignoring the important SME sector in Bligh’s speech..

“And regarding the growth, development and nurturing of SMEs in the State, nothing of value was said at all, despite an acknowledgement that the cradle of creativity lies with the SMEs. Anna always impresses with her delivery and verbal dexterity, but when you have a bland and virtually content free speech, this was nothing other than an opportunity squandered.”