AIIA supports Turnbull Government’s expansion of its digital agenda

Today in Canberra, at a National Press Club luncheon hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), the nation’s peak member body for the ICT industry, Assistant Minister for Digital Transformation Angus Taylor announced the Turnbull Government will be expanding its digital agenda. To help drive this agenda, the Assistant Minister has requested the AIIA collaborate with the government as the ICT industry representative to help deliver improved outcomes.
 
The changes will include a new Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), which will oversee wide scale change in digital capability across government departments, providing improved capabilities to users of government services. The DTA will also be responsible for the ICT policy and procurement functions, currently managed by the Department of Finance.
 
In response to the announcement, Rob Fitzpatrick, chief executive officer of the AIIA says, “Australians expect the same level of service and digital capability from their government as they receive in their day-to-day lives from the private sector. We welcome these changes as a step in the right direction towards improving our government’s digital capabilities which should ultimately drive efficiencies between departments, save costs, deliver better services, and save our time.
 
The new agency will include a small high-calibre program management office to manage strategy and integration of the digital transformation agenda across all of government. Additionally, Assistant Minister Taylor said the Government would form a Digital Transformation Advisory Board, which will include private and public sector expertise to provide advice to the Minister’s Office.
 
“Any transformation such as this is a massive undertaking, so I applaud the inclusion of the program management office and the emphasis on strategic change and implementation in order to ensure long-term success,” said Fitzpatrick.
 
“The AIIA accepts the Assistant Minister’s request to bring industry’s voice to the table to ensure effective public and private sector collaboration. I particularly welcome the Assistant Minister’s comments to make more information and data available so that industry can help government drive innovation, resulting in a better outcome for government services,” added Fitzpatrick.
 
“From a broader perspective, digital transformation of Australia’s economy is critical to driving our nation’s long-term growth and prosperity. I have always maintained that as the biggest spender of ICT services, Government should be the exemplar of that change. While today’s announcement should drive greater efficiency and effectiveness of government services, more importantly it also supports our need to demonstrate digital leadership, maintain our global competitiveness, and drive our growth agenda,” said Fitzpatrick.
 
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ABOUT THE AIIA
The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) is Australia’s peak representative body and advocacy group for those in the digital ecosystem. Since 1978 the AIIA has pursued activities to stimulate and grow the digital ecosystem, to create a favorable business environment for members and to contribute to Australia’s economic prosperity. We do this by delivering outstanding member value by providing a strong voice of influence; building a sense of community through events and education; enabling a network for collaboration and inspiration; and developing compelling content and relevant and interesting information.
 
MEDIA CONTACT
For more information, please contact Joanna Stevens Kramer at 0408 466 410 or email joanna@filteredmedia.com.au.
 
For more information about the AIIA please visit https://aiia.com.au/about-us.