WA govt to appoint first-ever CIO

The West Australian government will appoint its first-ever chief information officer as part of a $25 million reform and cost-cutting program.

WA premier Colin Barnett and finance minister Bill Marmion said the new position would lead IT reform across the state in an effort to achieve savings and efficiencies.

The state government will establish an 'IT renewal and reform fund' which aims to support agency-specific IT reforms and push for more effecient and effective arrangements.

It will be funded from reductions to government agencies' existing IT spend, the ministers said, and is expected to reap net savings of $85 million.

One of the new CIO's first tasks will be to cut IT costs across government. He or she will also work to enhance transparency in the delivery of major IT projects.

The CIO will create a reform plan over the next 12 months.

“With a spend of at least $1 billion a year on ICT, there needs to be better co-ordination, consolidation and prioritisation of these resources across state government,” Barnett said in a statement.

“The delivery of ICT services in government has not always been as efficient and effective as it might have been. Information communications technology reform will drive innovation, improve the way we deliver services to the community and deliver better value for the taxpayer,” he said.

The new Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will sit within the state's Finance department and be established by July.

Western Australia was awarded the wooden spoon in the 2014 iTnews state government IT rankings thanks to a non-existent IT strategy and a lack of ministerial responsibility for IT.