Victoria's IT spend to be audited

The Victorian Auditor-General has flagged IT security, IT change management and use of IT in classrooms as areas for review over the coming fiscal year.

The audit office today indicated that some $472 million worth of IT spending by the Victorian Government is to come under review.

The auditor-general's staff will interrogate whether the purchase of information technology (IT) applications and infrastructure was authorised and "implemented efficiently and reliably in a controlled and secure environment.”

This interrogation will check to see whether agencies followed policies and procedures around approvals for IT projects, and whether new systems were adequately tested, according to the Victorian Auditor-General Annual Plan 2011-12

Information technology security

IT security will again be high on the list of concerns.

“Information systems used to collect, collate, store and process financial data and statements must be secure so that integrity and confidentiality of the data are protected,” the auditor-general noted in the plan.

Ideally systems should only be accessible by authorised people and controls should only allow  authorised changes.

The financial audit will assess and test an entity’s IT security controls to assess the integrity of information handled through the systems. Password and systemic controls over IT security will also be reviewed.

Learning technologies in government schools

The audit will also assess IT investments made by the Victorian Department of Education and Early Child Development (DEECD).

The Audit plan observed that in recent years $12 million from the state and $497 million from the Commonwealth’s Digital Education Revolution initiative have been provided to secondary schools to purchase or replace personal computers.

A further $60.5 million was spent on he Ultranet—an on-line teaching and learning environment for the state's students, staff and parents. 

The audit will determine whether the investment in learning technologies increased student participation, engagement and learning achievements.

It will also assess the adequacy of ongoing maintenance, upgrades, modernisation and other resource management aspects aimed at sustaining the technologies in schools.