ACT government earmarks $30 million for ICT projects

The ACT government’s 2017-18 budget includes funding to roll out a new whole-of-government payroll system, maintain its analytics capability and upgrade aging ICT infrastructure.

The government has earmarked $15 million over four years for a program to modernise its “modernise business critical information and communication technology network infrastructure systems,” budget documents reveal.

The funding will begin with an investment of $2.5 million in 2017-18.

The government’s current Chris21 human resources information management system will be replaced with a new whole-of-government payroll and human capital management system.

“The initiative is expected to generate efficiencies through additional functionality and increased automation of the new system,” budget documents state. The territory’s government has allocated $11 million over three years for the program.

Budget documents also state that the ACT government will “maintain its whole of government data storage and analytics capability with the aim of improving services by better linking, sharing and managing data,” with funding of $633,000 in 2017-18.

Another major IT initiative by the government is the decommissioning of the data centre housed in Macarthur House, with services to be relocated to a new facility.

Macarthur House will be demolished and the site sold. Decommissioning the Macarthur House data centre is expected to cost $3.2 million.

Also in the budget is funding autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle trials in the ACT.