While Labor might now draw breath to savor possibly the toughest election they have ever fought, Labor is by no means out of the woods yet.
The incoming government is likely to behave more like a 1st term government as they have to find their stride. This may cause a continuing pause in IT purchasing for some time yet.
With the loss of the Gershon Reinvestment Fund, many whole of government IT initiatives are likely to become early casualties. Ongoing funding is likely to remain tight over the life of the parliament as the new government will need to remain laser focused on delivering a surplus budget in three years.
Governance, values and due process have been defining issues in the post election period. This is likely to drive renewed interest in greater governance of government projects and open reporting through Gov 2.0.
All eyes will be on the new Ministerial lineup, particularly responsibility for government IT.
Meanwhile, the NBN will continue. It is not yet clear what concessions have been made to the independents, but we think it likely that the NBN rollout will focus on rural Australia over the term of this Parliament.
