In other public sector ICT and digital news for August 10
Defence Projects could be Axed
A review into the ADF by former defence minister Stephen Smith and former military chief Angus Houston (head of ADF 2005-11) will examine defence force strategy, preparedness, structure, and investment prioritisation. The Defence Strategic Review is in response to accelerating changes in Australia’s strategic environment. “All elements of the Integrated Investment Program” are up for consideration, which includes various ICT-dependent programs. The Review will deliver its recommendations in early 2023.
Aged Care Shake-up
The Australian Government has passed legislation that changes how aged care facilities are funded, allows the Department of Health and Aged Care to provide star ratings for facilities, and introduces a new Code of Conduct for providers. The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022 implements many of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
The Royal Commission also recommended that the Government:
- Add an assistive technology and home modifications category into the aged care program
- Provide infrastructure and facilities like video conferencing to connect remote communities to health providers
- Support aged and clinical care providers to adopt digital care management systems (including electronic medication management systems) and My Health Record
New Secretary at Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Meghan Quinn will become the new Secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) from 22 August 2022. Quinn replaces former secretary David Fredericks, who has moved to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. DISR is the responsibility of Minister for Resources Madeleine King and Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic. Current initiatives include Australia’s AI action plan and the National Blockchain Roadmap.
Data Security Breach in WA
A data security breach at the University of Western Australia (UWA) has exposed student information. “While there is no evidence that any data has been used, records in Callista [UWA’s Student Information Management System] include names, images, student ID and image, date of birth and contact details as well as course details and grades,” according to UWA. The university has apologised to students, reported the breach to the police, and is investigating to prevent further incidents.
Major NSW Emergency Services Shake-up Imminent?
Resilience NSW may be dismantled after operating for just two years. The ABC is reporting that a proposal to dismantle the agency is in front of cabinet. The WofG disaster command and coordination agency has struggled to fulfil its mandate, including managing the flooding around Lismore in late February 2022, according to the NSW Opposition. A flood inquiry report was handed to the Government on Sunday but has not been released to the public.
Human Rights Challenge for NSW Election Commission
Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) and the Public Interest Advocacy Group (Piac) are lodging a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission about the NSW Electoral Commission’s (NSWEC’s) decision not to use iVote in the 2023 state election. “For people who are blind and vision impaired, iVote, the electronic assisted voting platform, enabled them to do that really for the first time independently and secretly, without the assistance of another person,” according to Piac solicitor Ellen Tilbury.
NSWEC announced that iVote would not be used in 2023 following issues at the 2021 local government elections. System crashes cast doubt on election results after voters flocked to the system when COVID cases increased close to Christmas.
INTERNATIONAL
UK
The UK Parliament reversed its decision to set up a TikTok account over data concerns. The account was launched on 27 July 2022 but was closed following a letter from Peers and MPs, which expressed concerns over data transfer to the Chinese Government by Chinese-headquartered ByteDance, who owns the popular application.
US
An Act to make US government ICT procurement more efficient and provide opportunities to small businesses has been introduced. The Advancing Government Innovation with Leading-Edge—AGILE—Procurement Act of 2022 seeks to develop government procurement skills, simplify procurement methods and reduce barriers of entry for suppliers.
Taiwan
The visit by the Speaker of the US House of Reps to Taiwan coincided with DDOS cyber-attacks on the President of Taiwan’s website. Other websites hit included the Foreign Affairs Ministry, National Defense Ministry and an international airport. Mandiant’s vice president of intelligence analysis and cyber security John Hultquist told NBC News that while both state-sponsored actors and nationalist hacktivists are known to perform DDOS attacks, the former is more likely to conduct cyber espionage.