Connecting Victorians to eGovernment Projects

Media release - 30 May 2006

The 2006-07 State Budget delivers more than $800 million in commitments to ICT research and a range of eGovernment initiatives to improve public transport, law enforcement, education and environmental management.

The Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Marsha Thomson, said the Bracks Government was investing in important ICT infrastructure to create jobs, connect communities and make Victoria a great place to live, work and raise a family.

"We are meeting the challenge of better connecting communities and improving government services through ICT," Ms Thomson said.

"Today's funding boost will mean Victorians are connected to the latest and most efficient technology when dealing with the State Government and its services."

Ms Thomson said the Bracks Government would more than double its funding to $15 million for the ICT research facility Victoria Research Laboratory (VRL), part of the peak research group National ICT Australia.

"VRL is a global leader for advanced communication technologies including ultra bandwidth fibre and wireless broadband and sensor networks," she said.

Ms Thomson said the local ICT industry would receive a major boost with $4 million for the Digital Media Fund to support the rapid growth of Victoria's computer games and digital post-production industry.

Ms Thomson said $59 million had been provided to Victoria Police to replace the Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) with a more secure and simpler system.

A further $2.7 million is allocated to implement a Minimum Nation Wide Person Profile to give police online access to vital law enforcement data from across the country.

Ms Thomson said technology would also continue to provide a world class education system in Victoria.

"Over $5 million will establish a new identification number for every Victorian student up to 24 years old and $1.6 million has been allocated to continue the operation of the popular website Youth Central ," she said.

A further $10 million has been invested in the e-research initiative to create new e-Research Centres, allowing researchers across disciplines to connect with other Victorian, national and international researchers.

Ms Thomson said the State Budget would also provide:

$8.3 million to improve internal Government systems such as the State Revenue Office's revenue management system and electronic evaluation tools for government tenders;

$5.8 million to allow the Government and commercial fishing industry to make informed decisions about the management of resources and fish stocks;

$1 million to the Ombudsman for an information management system to improve complaint handling procedures;

$25.1 million to transform the State Library includes funds for cutting-edge technology to bring the library into the 21st Century; and

$16.2 million for the National Electronic Health Record System to introduce a national standardised system of individual healthcare identifiers, heath care provider identifiers and clinical terminologies which will allow health information to be exchanged electronically.

Ms Thomson said new technology announced in this month's major transport statement, Meeting Our Transport Challenges, would also deliver benefits to Victorians.

"Public transport upgrades are among the biggest ICT projects in Government, including $228.9million to replace the 23-year-old train control system to improve service schedules and a new communications system to boost safety and efficiency," she said.

"A further $432 million has been invested for the design, development and implementation of a new ticketing system, based on re-usable Smartcard technology to be rolled out from 2007."

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