WA Police Force to spend $30.8m on IT 'optimisation'

The Western Australia Police Force will invest $30.8 million over four years in a wide-ranging ICT overhaul, as revealed in the 2025–26 WA State Budget.

The initiative, dubbed the ICT Optimisation Program, will see an estimated $2.8 million spent in 2024–25 [pdf], with the remaining $28 million spread evenly over the subsequent four years.

The program forms part of a broader digital transformation strategy aimed at modernising the agency’s technology environment.

In parallel, the WA Police Force allocated $13.7 million towards the ICT component of its Firearm Act Reform Program, with an estimated $9 million spent in the current financial year and the balance to follow in the next.

WA Police Force has spent the past two years reorganising, simplifying and elevating its Technology function and capabilities, with CTO Marc Smith outlining in October the force’s plans for a suite of new ICT services and skills.

This financial year saw around $8.2 million spent on what the force dubbed its Technology Program 2024-2025, and marked the completion of its two-year Technology Improvement Program, which cost $12.5 million in total.

Other IT programs of work

Elsewhere in the budget, Western Power remains one of the biggest winners for tech funding, securing $107.3 million for business support and ICT, in line with historical funding levels.

The budget papers list continued investment in upgrading hardware and software facing “rapid obsolescence,” as well as improvements to telecommunications and cyber security systems.

WA Health secured $17.4 million to support its Critical Health ICT Infrastructure Program for the next financial year, following an estimated $26.8 million spent in 2024–25.

Meanwhile, the WA Department of the Premier and Cabinet, which oversees the WA Office of Digital Government, spent an estimated $11.6 million on its Asset Investment Program this year, which primarily focused on critical corporate ICT infrastructure and the development of the ServiceWA app.

The program is budgeted at $19.6 million over the 2024–2029 period, with $3.8 million earmarked for the next financial year.

Of that, $700,000 will go toward establishing a secure digital wallet feature in the ServiceWA app.

The budget also noted a $513,000 expenditure being transferred from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet to the Department of Finance, which is assuming responsibility for contract management of the GovNext program.