Budget 2018: Canberra's tech plans

A suite of ICT programs, upgrades and ambitions for government, industry, academia and consumers were announced by Treasurer Scott Morrison in Tuesday’s 2018 federal government budget, although not all of them are new — some had been previously announced.

Here’s a list, in no particular order, of the main ICT-related measures:

• $92.4 million in 2018–19 for the Digital Transformation Agency to accelerate the implementation of the GovPass Program.
• Funding will be provided to continue the improvement of the Bureau of Meteorology’s ICT systems and network infrastructure, partially offset by ceasing planned expenditure on capital projects that are no longer needed due to the broader investment in the Bureau’s ICT. The amount of funding has not been disclosed, with the government citing commercial-in-confidence issues.
• $130.0 million (including $94.0 million in capital funding) will be allocated to the Department of Home Affairs to improve its ICT capability by upgrading the capacity and performance of its connected information environment, establishing an enterprise identity management system and upgrading analytics and threat management capabilities.
• An extra $14.2 million over four years for the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to help counter cyberbullying and image-based abuse.
• $6.6 million in capital funding over four years from 2018–19 to modernise the Australian Skills Quality Authority’s IT systems, to support enhanced data analytics and information-sharing capabilities, streamlined registration processes and improved transparency.
• $1.0 million in capital funding for changes to the IT systems of the Department of Education and Training and the Australian Taxation Office, to support the lifetime limit for the tuition fee assistance program.
• $36.2 million over four years from 2018–19 (including $7.6 million in capital funding in 2018–19) to fund a new IT system to support the compliance and regulatory arrangements for the VET Student Loans program, which will leverage the existing IT platform of the Department of Human Services.
• $1.9 billion over 12 years from 2017–18 ($393.3 million over five years) to implement the Research Infrastructure Investment Plan, which will involve partially funding specific national research infrastructure projects along with co-investments from project proponents.
• An additional $106.8 million over four years from 2018–19 to modernise the health and aged care payments systems and ensure that the government continues to own and operate the ICT systems that support the delivery of Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, aged care and related payments. This will involve replacing and decommissioning ageing ICT systems, upgrading cybersecurity and introducing user experience improvements.
• $28.2 million over five years from 2017–18 to upgrade the e-prescribing software system used by clinicians to prescribe medicines.
• $30.0 million for the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to improve accessibility to health information and statistics, including better data sharing capability and ICT upgrades.
• $316.2 million over four years from 2018–19 to progress Tranche Three of the Welfare Payment Infrastructure Transformation program by progressively replacing Centrelink’s ageing technology platform.
• $2.9 million in 2018–19 to support the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to manage safety standards and associated compliance for recreational and commercial drone technologies.
• $1.0 million over two years from 2018–19 to support a review of existing domestic and international measures of innovation.
• $160.9 million to deliver the Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) to improve the reliability and the accuracy of positioning data from five metres to 10 centimetres across Australia’s landmass and maritime zone.
• $64 million for the National Positioning Infrastructure Capability, to complement SBAS and improve GPS accuracy to 3 cm in areas with mobile coverage.
• $36.9 million for Digital Earth Australia, to give provide greater access to standardised satellite data that identifies physical changes to the environment.
• $29.9 million over four years from 2018–19 to strengthen Australia’s capability in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• $70.0 million in 2017–18 to replace and upgrade Australia’s computing and data capability at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, including replacing the Galaxy and Magnus supercomputers and their supporting infrastructure.
• $4.5 million over four years from 2018–19 to encourage more women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and careers.
• $0.8 million in capital funding in 2018–19 to enhance the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s IT systems.
• $1.2 million in 2018–19 to upgrade Trades Recognition Australia’s IT systems to better support its role in managing technical and trade skills assessments sought by potential migrants to Australia.
• $16.5 million over four years from 2018–19 to address ongoing needs of the Unique Student Identifier transcript service, which provides VET students with a secure online record of training and qualifications gained in Australia.
• $41.0 million over four years from 2018–19 to grow the Australian space industry, including by establishing a National Space Agency, including $26 million for domestic activities and $15 million for international collaborations.
• $0.6 million in 2018–19 to fund the development of a business case to modernise IP Australia’s patents management system and streamline access to its services via digital channels.
• $20.0 million over four years from 2018–19 to establish a Small and Medium Enterprises Export Hubs program.
• $12.2 million over three years from 2017–18 for a trial program to trial digital delivery of employment services for up to 10,000 job-ready participants.
• $9.0 million over four years from 2018–19 (including $0.3 million in capital funding in 2018–19) for the Department of Parliamentary Services to establish a cybersecurity operations centre to enhance cybersecurity protection for the parliamentary computing network.
• $0.7 million in 2018–19 for the DTA to investigate areas where blockchain technology could offer the most value for government services.
• $20.5 million over four years from 2018–19 for the implementation of new data governance arrangements in line with the recommendations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 Report on Data Availability and Use. A data sharing and release framework, underpinned by legislation, will be developed and administered by a newly established National Data Commissioner.
• $0.1 million in 2017–18 to promote Australia internationally as a fintech destination.
• $44.6 million over four years from 2018–19 (including $1.4 million in capital funding in 2018–19) to establish a national consumer data right (CDR) that will allow consumers and small to medium enterprises to access and transfer their data between service providers in designated sectors.
• $10.1 million over three years from 2018–19 will be given to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to support its ICT systems and digitise paper files.
• Boosting internet access and connectivity in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands by contributing funds for the construction of undersea high-speed telecommunications cables. The amount of funding has not been disclosed, with the government citing commercial-in-confidence issues.
   

Image credit: ©Sergey Nivens/Dollar Photo Club

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and quarterly magazine.