AIIA Welcomes Cabinet Response to Gershon Report
AIIA Welcomes Cabinet Response to Gershon Report
November 26 2008: The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has welcomed Cabinet’s rabid response to the Gershon Review, saying that the priority is now implementation and industry engagement.
The AIIA sees the review as providing an important degree of certainty and leadership to the ICT industry in a difficult economic climate, and says that its primary concern along with that of its members is that the Government work closely with industry to ensure that the strategies adopted to implement Sir Peter Gershon’s recommendations are effective, efficient and appropriate.
“The Gershon Review addresses issues of primary importance to the industry. AIIA has already established the Gershon Engagement Team to create an active and constructive engagement with government and to ensure successful implementation through industry consultation,” said AIIA CEO Ian Birks.
The association’s team will be headed by AIIA National Board member Kee Wong, of e-Centric Innovations, while members of the Gershon Engagement Team are being drawn from the AIIA Board and a wide variety of members, following an overwhelming expression of interest from industry in these issues.
“The Gershon Engagement Team will focus on a number of industry priorities arising from this review. At the Board meeting of 13 November, AIIA Directors agreed that one of the key priorities for the Team will be to carefully analyse the benefits and adverse impacts the Gershon measures may have on existing and potential SME suppliers to the Federal Government,” said Birks.
The association says that while implementation will be the most important aspect of securing the right outcomes from the review, it notes that the industry remains concerned about some of the short term recommendations made in the report.
“[The] AIIA is particularly concerned to ensure that Government fully understands the impact that proposed spending cuts may have on the ICT industry’s ability to service government requirements, particularly at a time of severe economic downturn,” said Birks. “Specifically, the 50 percent reduction in the number of ICT contractors, and the planned reduction of $400M annually of agency ‘business as usual’ ICT budgets.”
The AIIA says that while industry recognises the importance of eliminating duplication and creating efficiencies across ICT usage, concerns remain about the potential for a focus on generating savings at the expense of making a considered investment in the outcomes being sought.
It notes that appropriate investment will be essential to improving the management, control and skills associated with the government use of ICT, particularly given the productivity benefits offered by ICT.
It also adds that the absence of a specific recommendation proposing serious and sustained implementation funding – likely to run into many millions of dollars – is also problematic.
Birks says that the AIIA applauds the acknowledgement by Government of ICT’s central role in the support of government policies and programs, and that the establishment of a Ministerial ICT Committee is an overdue recognition of the sector’s “significance in the achievement of Government’s goals.”
“The fact that the roll out of the review’s recommendations will commence immediately is a further indication of Government’s determination to effect necessary reforms to Federal Government ICT,” concluded Birks.
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