Cherish the Web: Rudd cranks new sites by the dozen

James Riley
Wednesday, 12 August 2009 06:44

Your IT - Home IT

The Commonwealth loves the internet. So much so that federal departments built 27 new web sites in one short eight month period – with design costs reaching close to $450,000.

The Rudd Government has now launched 63 new web sites since it was elected in December 2007 at a cost of about $1.6 million.

Labor’s Senate Leader Chris Evans tabled the list provided by the Prime Minister’s office of 27 new Government sites in the Senate yesterday for the period late August 2008 to the end of April. The new sites cost $430,000.

Government had previously told the Senate it had launched 36 Web sites between the time it was elected and last August for $1.1 million.

The document includes design costs – substantial in some cases – but does not include internal departmental costs.

Nicola Roxon’s Department of Health and Ageing created seven new sites all by itself, including the drinkingnightmare.gov.au site that carried a design price-tag of more than $21,000.

Topping the list as the most expensive web site built for the period is the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy with its comprehensive digitalready.gov.au site, designed by departmental staff with BMF Advertising at a cost of $95,000.

Other big spenders included a $77,000 Health department site – measureup.gov.au – by internal staff and 303 Advertising to provide social marketing campaign for the Australian Better Health Initiative, and a $41,000 Tax Office site designed by ad agency Leo Burnett (educationtaxrefund.gov.au).

The Liberal’s leader in the Senate Nick Minchin – a former Minister for ‘No’ as head of Finance in the Howard Government – has been watching Labor’s spend on Web sites since it came to power.

Senator Minchin told iTWire the number of new sites being developed had not slowed, despite government having vowed to rein in spending on self-promotion. He said in the current economic conditions government should demonstrate value for taxpayers’ money.

The average costs of the new government Web sites has fallen since the list of 36 internet destinations was tabled last August. Back then, Government had to fend off criticism of the $255,000 spent by Veteran’s Affairs on a commemoration web site, and the $118,000 spent designing the now defunct Grocery Choices site.

Still, it’s a long way from the glory days of web development a decade ago. Former Communications Minister Richard Alston was flayed by the then Opposition for cost overruns by the Department of Communications, IT and the Arts, which spent more than four million dollars on its site.

Not that all the recent federal web efforts have been showered in money. The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research spent ‘Nil’ on design for Science Week Web site (which now redirects to the ABC.net.au science page.)

Others that cost Nil included two from Julia Gillard’s Education department; the word-riddles buildingtheeducationrevolution.gov.au and studyoverseas.gov.au.