State wise, late 2010 delivered a change of Government in Victoria, and if the punters are right, there will be a change of government for NSW in 2011. Meanwhile, the Queensland government will also be thinking hard about elections, and will be using 2011 to prepare itself for a tough contest in 2012. Any change to a long established government, will typically open the flood gates for significant changes to agency administration and government policy. "This can provide long-term opportunities for astute IT suppliers, but it means 2011 could be a time of big upheaval in the state government IT market", said Noonan, based in Canberra.
Federal Government IT in 2011 is likely to provide some very different challenges. As Labor settles into minority government, Prime Minister Gillard desperately needs to convince to a skeptical voting public that she can successfully deliver government outcomes. "The previous Labor government did deliver significant IT cost savings, through the Gershon Review, and later by cancelling the government's Business As Usual Reinvestment Fund. However, these savings measures have left cash strapped agencies with little capacity to focus on strategic initiatives," Noonan said. "Agencies can't just tread water. The government quickly needs to spell out a new multi year IT Strategic Plan to replace the one that lapsed in 2010. This plan needs to focus on delivering greater value and clear government outcomes, not just cost savings".
As NBN gathers momentum, the Opposition's focus in 2011 is likely to shift to implementation issues. During the closing weeks of the 2010 Federal Parliament, we got a taste of what is to come. Liberal member for Gilmore, Joanna Gash, raised a constituent's complaint about a ripped up nature strip caused by NBN. Individually this is a tiny issue, but the Opposition is likely to have a draw full of these issues ready for Question Time sessions in 2011. "If left unchecked, a barrage of these questions is likely to create the impression of yet another government project out of control. Of course, these complaints are likely to evaporate if the government can counter with suitable NBN success stories. The government will need to shift the debate in 2011, from rolling out cable, to delivering value for small business and citizens".
A big unknown for 2011 will be the ongoing fallout from WikiLeaks. Auditors in government agencies around Australia are likely to be pondering the same question - Could this happen to us All government agencies currently have their own IT security plans, with procedures based on their own risk assessments. However the Wikileaks events of 2010 are likely be still echoing in the ears of IT auditors as they make their rounds in 2011. Perhaps it might be time for government CIOs to dust off their current agency IT security plans, and ask some probing questions!
