iTnews
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Strategy

DFAT sheds dozens of IT contractors after budget blowout

By Justin Hendry on Jul 24, 2020 10:55AM
DFAT sheds dozens of IT contractors after budget blowout

Budget mismanagement blamed.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has shed dozens of IT contractors in recent weeks and is poised to cut more still after suffering a multi-million dollar budget blowout.

Sources have told iTnews in excess of 30 IT contractors have been terminated from the department’s Information Management & Technology Division through two rounds of cuts.

A third round of cuts is said to be pending in a division that normally employs between 200 and 300 IT contractors at any one time.

Sources put the terminations down to a mismanagement of the department’s IT budget that, they say, has led to a $60 million deficit. 

Around half of the deficit is said to relate to a Microsoft Office 365 project for the department's global network of embassies and consulates.  

Unlike a range of other government agencies, including Australia Post, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is not said to be the cause of the cuts.

DFAT did not respond to questions on the cuts and made no attempt to dispute the budget deficit, despite multiple attempts by iTnews to seek clarification over the past fortnight.

The ABC has separately reported that up to 100 contractors, including those working in IT and non-IT policy roles, have possibly been let go across DFAT.

The department's decision to cut loose dozens of IT contractors comes just weeks after reports that it will cut 60 jobs, including 50 in Canberra, from its 6000-strong workforce.

Sources also told iTnews that some IT contractors were told of the terminations at very short notice as a result of the budget pressures.

They also expressed concern about the waste of public funds and the loss of IT skills within the department.

Know more? Contact jhendry@nextmedia.com.au

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
contractorsdfatgovernmentitstrategy

Partner Content

Avoiding CAPEX by making on-premise IT more cloud-like
Promoted Content Avoiding CAPEX by making on-premise IT more cloud-like
"We're seeing some good policy put in place, but that's the exception"
Partner Content "We're seeing some good policy put in place, but that's the exception"
Security: Understanding the fundamentals of governance, risk & compliance
Promoted Content Security: Understanding the fundamentals of governance, risk & compliance
The Great Resignation has intensified insider security threats
Promoted Content The Great Resignation has intensified insider security threats

Sponsored Whitepapers

Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership

Events

  • CRN Channel Meets: CyberSecurity Live Event
  • IoT Insights: Secure By Design for manufacturing
  • Cyber Security for Government Summit
By Justin Hendry
Jul 24 2020
10:55AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Service NSW hits digital services goal two years early
  • Queensland gov sinks another $300m into e-health record system rollout
  • NSW gov invests $146m in statewide paging network
  • Services Australia extends Hume data centre lease with CDC
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Qantas calls time on IBM, Fujitsu in tech modernisation

Qantas calls time on IBM, Fujitsu in tech modernisation

Service NSW hits digital services goal two years early

Service NSW hits digital services goal two years early

SA Police ignores Adelaide council plea for facial recognition ban on CCTV

SA Police ignores Adelaide council plea for facial recognition ban on CCTV

NBN Co says TPG tie-up could help Telstra sidestep spectrum limits

NBN Co says TPG tie-up could help Telstra sidestep spectrum limits

Digital Nation

Integrity, ethics and board decisions in the digital age
Integrity, ethics and board decisions in the digital age
Crypto experts optimistic about future of Bitcoin: Block
Crypto experts optimistic about future of Bitcoin: Block
COVER STORY: Operationalising net zero through the power of IoT
COVER STORY: Operationalising net zero through the power of IoT
IBM global chief data officer on the rise of the number crunchers
IBM global chief data officer on the rise of the number crunchers
The security threat of quantum computing
The security threat of quantum computing
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.