The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has endorsed the recommendations of the Federal government’s Gershon report, which reviewed the use of ICT within the public sector.
Assembled by Sir Peter Gershon, the report says that the current ethos of IT spending in government is inefficient and has in some instances led to the needless duplication of ICT infrastructure.
The report recommends budget cuts across the board, including 15% cuts each year for those agencies with ICT budgets of more than $20 million a year, and 7.5% cuts each year for smaller departments.
ACS president Kumar Parakala said many of the report’s recommendations align with the ACS’s own views, particularly the idea of cutting spend rather than ICT jobs.
“ICT performance is key to our overall economic strength and productivity in Australia,” Parakala said.
However, the ACS cautioned that any cuts must not be made without careful consideration.
“We are concerned that knee-jerk cost-cutting based on the current financial climate will result in medium- to long-term pain for the overall economy. This issue is as pivotal in the private sector as it is within the public sector,” Parakala said.
“If these recommendations are viewed purely as a cost-cutting mechanism, there is potential for the industry to take a backward step, rather than moving forward and improving the delivery and efficiency of ICT services, products and development of new technologies,“ he said.
Parakala welcomed the recommendation that the savings from the budget cuts be reinvested into projects to improve efficiency of ICT activities.
“This is a pivotal recommendation which highlights the importance for businesses to continually maintain and reinvest in their ICT budgets and projects,” he said.