NSW Finance and Services Minister Greg Pearce has unveiled the draft ICT Strategic Framework – which includes the geospatial industry – and is looking for comments and submissions from the public.
The 20-page consultation document outlines objectives and priority areas intended to ensure NSW's $2 billion per annum ICT budget is well spent.
You can view the document and make comments and submissions at www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/ict before the final version is released in early 2012. This is one of the few times NSW has asked for public feedback on a policy matter.
One major goal is to improve service delivery through a whole-of-government approach.
"The NSW government will be a leader in the use of ICT to transform government service delivery, make it easier to do business with government, and build sustainable public sector productivity to the benefit of the entire state," the vision statement says.
The draft document outlines four guiding principles: senior leadership via the formulation of a government ICT Board; strategic industry engagement through the ICT Advisory Panel of private sector and research leaders; a focus on service delivery, and adopting a portfolio management approach to reduce duplication and improve productivity.
Senior business leaders across government identified five main areas for improvement: better information-sharing between departments and agencies; real-time services available 24/7 via mobile devices and increased use of online channels; the use of emerging technologies to develop new services, and up-skilling public sector employees in financial and performance management.
Detailed implementation plans identifying priority areas for the strategy should be ready by March 2012; these will include common methods and guidance tools for agency decision-making.
“Today we move to the next stage in delivering better ICT in NSW,” Mr Pearce said in a statement.
“The draft framework outlines the government’s goals and direction for ICT in NSW, driven by the overarching goal of making NSW the leader in ICT.”
