WA govt brings forward police cyber security spending

The Western Australian government has brought forward spending on WA Police’s ICT optimisation program, in part in order to boost the force’s information security.

Budget documents reveal that the state government brought forward $7 million from to 2018-19 from 2021-22 to update the WA Police’s radio core and telecommunications intercept systems, and implement stronger cyber security measures.

The spending is part of WA Police’s rolling ICT Optimisation Program.

WA Police’s 2017 annual report noted that a “significant and increasing portion of WA Police’s ICT infrastructure is in extended use, approaching or beyond manufacturer end of support. This heightens the risk of increased service outages (frequency and outage time), equipment breakages and system intrusion and results in increasing ICT operating costs.”

The WA budget, which was handed down yesterday, also reveals that the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will be shifted to the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

The shift will provide “a stronger mandate for the Government’s digital transformation agenda” and ensure that ICT “performance, data sharing and cyber security are strengthened.”

The office was established in 2015 by the former state government and its future has been uncertain.

Giles Nunis was appointed government chief information officer but left the OGCIO for a role at Deloitte. Executive director, policy and governance, Marion Burchell, is currently the acting government CIO.

The office has spearheaded the GovNext-ICT program, which is a massive overhaul of government technology spending.