Victorian agencies criticised for poor telecomms management

Victoria's Departments of Human Services and Justice and Victoria Police have come under fire from the state's auditor-general for poorly managing a combined annual telecommunications spend of $AUD13 million.

In a report tabled in the Victorian parliament yesterday, the state's auditor-general stated that “the agencies examined cannot be confident that they are effectively managing all aspects of their telecommunications usage and expenditure”.

The three agencies have the largest individual spends in a statewide public service telecommunications service spend of $53 million. Purchases are made under contracts first executed in 2004 under the state's Telecommunications Purchasing and Management Strategy (TPAMS).

The report found:

• None of the agencies report whole-of-agency spend to their executives
• None of the agencies had “clarified the minimum procedures and processes for effectively verifying invoices and minimising waste”.

Redundant land-line services were highlighted, along with the need for “consistent and reasonable” limits on personal use of agency services. The report also suggests that agencies may not move quickly enough to take advantage of reductions in carrier call rates or increases in data allowances.

Telstra and Optus supply carriage services, data and mobiles to the Victorian government under TPAMS, with NEC holding a managed voice network contract that includes a call charge validation service. ®