Election 2010: Technology portfolio consolidation?
By James Riley
Thursday, 29 July 2010 19:17
IT Policy - Government Tech Policy
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The division of responsibility between departments around industry development and information technology-related portfolio initiatives was confusing and slowed the progress toward adopting new technology, Senator Conroy said.
He acknowledged that the ICT industry had been asking Government for some time for it to consolidate which departments held responsibility for technology issues.
There has been some confusion about Senator Conroy’s responsibility for broadband and communications and developing the digital economy, and Kim Carr’s responsibilities for industry development in the IT sector industry development.
And the responsibility for Government user issues through the Department of Finance, and the individual portfolio initiatives like eHealth has further spread responsibility for the sector.
"This is something the industry has been calling for, that there needs to be consolidation, and that's a very positive thing," Senator Conroy told an Australian Information Industry Association luncheon in Melbourne.
"It is very difficult (for the industry) being spread across so many different departments."
"We do need to try and raise the voice of a united industry, to call for the Parliament to recognise the challenges and therefore (recognise) the benefits and to get a move on to pass the necessary legislation."
Senator Conroy called the telecommunications reforms – including the "Holy Grail" structural separation of Telstra – and the construction of the NBN as the priority for continued focus within the communications portfolio, as well as the once in a generation opportunities of the digital switch-over of analogue to digital television.
But with the NBN infrastructure increasingly in place through a second term of a Gillard Government, industry development work through the digital economy portion of the portfolio would become increasingly important.
