Stories by Trevor Clarke

NBN company draft legislation unveiled

The Australian Federal Government has unveiled draft legislation for the regulatory framework for the operation of NBN Co, which will build and operate the country's A$43 billion national broadband network.

AFACT v iiNet: ISPs applaud decision

ISPs have welcomed the Federal Court's decision in favour of iiNet in is civil case with the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) but cautioned the full implications will take some time to become apparent.

Oracle and Sun to push private cloud solutions

The Oracle and Sun Microsystems road map [[artnid: 333300|due to be announced this week by Larry Ellison]] will likely include moves to forge the pair into a solutions provider in the vein of IBM and HP, according to analyst firm Frost & Sullivan.

Australia to upgrade passport application IT systems

Australian travellers heading overseas may soon be able to apply for a passport online if the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) goes ahead with newly announced plans to upgrade some of the Australian Passport Office's (APO) IT systems.
The APO presently produces 1.7 million passports per year and is projecting this number to grow to two million in the 2012/13 financial year and up to 3.5 million beyond that.

Conroy: Minchin's manipulations will hurt consumers

Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy has condemned his former opposite number, Senator Nick Minchin, for forcing the Telstra separation bill to be delayed until February next year, saying consumers will be worse off as a result.

Analyst tips 141,000 Kiwi IPTV subscribers by 2014

New broadband networks are being tipped to propel the deployment of internet television, or IPTV, services in New Zealand and Australia.
New Zealand is forecast to have 141,000 IPTV subscribers by 2014 as a result of its new broadband network, according to projections by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan.See also: Freeview NZ strikes a different path to IPTVAustralia's planned National Broadband Network (NBN) will boost IPTV service rollouts there with 235,000 subscribers by 2014.

Aussie Senate committee report reveals massive NBN split

The Senate Select Committee into the National Broadband Network (NBN) has called for a rigorous cost-benefit analysis, an interim implementation study report, a skills audit, and the bringing forward of legislation that will provide the funding and governance framework for NBN Co in its third report.

2009: The year the cloud was seeded

The economic downturn may have dominated the agenda for much of 2009 but it was also the year the cloud was seeded, according to analyst firm IDC.

Report slams IT management at Victoria Police

An investigation into the Victoria Police Business Information and Technology Services Department (BITS) has found damning evidence of financial mismanagement.
The report by Omubsman Victoria revealed there were "no fewer" than three external reviews, five internal audits and two criminal investigations undertaken since August 2006 in BITS' activities.
While the findings from the reviews, audits and investigations indentified a funding gap of $A39 million over three years, Victoria Police has only recently taken remedial action. The report concluding earlier action along with a more attention on the funding of individual projects would have saved "significant public expenditure".
The Ombudsman's investigation, which looked at the tendering and contracting of IT services by BITS, also found:
Victoria Police's CIO between April 2004 and November 2008, Valda Berzins, "acknowledged that she did not closely monitor the operation of the BITS budget, which in 2008-09 was approximately $191 million"
BITS enlisted "the assistance of the incumbent vendor to provide competitor analysis that would form the basis of the evaluation report and market testing"
That in February 2007, BITS "obtained the relevant approvals to redirect security services valued at more than $11 million from IBM to Fujitsu. In March 2007 the former CIO entered into a contract with Fujitsu to the value of $27.2 million dollars, some $15 million above the approved expenditure"
And in another case, BITS prepared the documentation for a $20.1 million contract in the space of 24 days. "It was a process that many in the industry estimated would normally have required anywhere from 10 to 18 months to be done effectively and efficiently."
The Ombudsman also said BITS' record keeping was inadequate and key procurement documents often had to be requested from vendors as Victoria Police had not retained or could not locate them.
As part of the report the Ombudsman made several recommendations including: BITS create a policy that prohibits adjusting contracts over a certain value without approval, according to Victorian Government Purchasing Board Procurement Policies; and establishing a central major projects management facility.
Notably the Ombudsman also said Victoria Police should take "immediate action to ensure that a full disclosure of the Fujitsu B5 contract is made on the Central Register of Major Government Contracts in accordance with Victorian Government Purchasing Board Procurement Policies and Government directions".
The full report can be seen at the Ombudsman Victoria website.

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