Turnbull refuses to let go of DTO

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will take his pet agency, the Digital Transformation Office, with him into the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio in order to retain oversight of its electronic service delivery agenda.

Malcolm Turnbull

Administrative orders issued late last night reveal a fragmentation of IT and digital responsibilities across the government as bits and pieces were shuffled between the newly appointed cabinet.

Following his successful challenge for the leadership, Turnbull named his new ministry on Sunday afternoon, which included the appointment of new Communications Minister Mitch Fifield.

As part of the changes, the DTO and leader Paul Shetler will follow the Prime Minister to PM&C from Communications. The orders formally add whole-of-government service delivery policy, public data policy, and the government 2.0 remit to the Prime Minister’s list of responsibilities.

Turnbull drove the establishment of the DTO, which is modelled on the UK’s government Digital Service. He secures $255 million to implement its agenda in the 2015 budget.

The Department of Finance, which remains under the watch of minister Mathias Cormann, retains what’s left of the whole-of-government IT remit not taken up by the DTO.

This is likely to include procurement matters and standardisation of back-office systems.

The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science has been handed responsibility for the digital economy, another area shifted out of the Communications portfolio. The remit will be overseen by Christopher Pyne as the department's new minister.

The reshuffle leaves Communications with none of its former digital responsibilities, although Fifield will still have input into the area as Turnbull’s Assistant Minister for Digital Government.

The reshuffle also saw copyright responsibility taken off Attorney-General George Brandis.

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