IT gets $AU200 million new spend in Qld budget

The IT sector will be busily trawling through the Australian state of Queensland's budget papers, with the government yesterday announcing tech spends in health, emergency services communications, and online service delivery.

Queensland Health, whose troubled history in IT has previously left it out-of-pocket by a cool billion after a payroll palaver, will be the main recipient of nearly $AU200 million for boxes and software.

Most of that – nearly $AU140 million – lands in e-health assets, with a further $AU60 million on clinical and support systems for the e-health rollout.

A million dollars will be flung in the direction of emergency services to – at last – integrate the state's wireless networks. Telstra, as the provider under a 15-year managed services agreement for the GWN – government wireless network – will get a sizeable slice of the $AU72 million devoted to the network.

The GWN upgrade is a high priority for Queensland, which will be hosting the G20 summit in Brisbane in November.

With an extra $AU8.2 million, the state's “one stop shop” online strategy aims to double the number of services (such as driver's license renewal) it delivers to 100 by the end of the year. Some of that will also be spent on a trial of “mobile and digital” services in the Lockyer Valley.

There's also $AU3.1 million for “tactical improvements incyber security and awareness within Queensland Government departments”. ®