Western Australia is set to appoint its first government CIO as part of a $25 million reform program to cut costs and deliver better services to the community. WA premier Colin Barnett and finance minister, Bill Marmion said on Wednesday that the new role would guide ICT reform across the WA government, which is looking for savings and efficiencies. The ICT Renewal and Reform Fund will establish support for agencies with specific ICT reforms and encourage more efficient and effective arrangements. It will be funded from targeted reductions in general government agencies’ IT spend, to generate estimated net savings of $85 million, the government said. The new CIO will initially focus on cutting the cost of ICT across government and enhancing transparency in the delivery of major ICT projects. The officer will create an ICT reform plan over 12 months to support the new direction, the government said. “With a spend of at least $1 billion a year on ICT, there needs to be better co-ordination, consolidation and prioritisation of these resources across state government,” said Barnett. “The delivery of ICT services in government has not always been as efficient and effective as it might have been. Information communications technology reform will drive innovation, improve the way we deliver services to the community and deliver better value for the taxpayer,” he said. Finance minister, Bill Marmion, said WA is well positioned to learn from the experience of other states and from overseas, which have shown that the strongest ICT reform comes from having a broad approach right across government. He said benchmarking of ICT spend compared to other jurisdictions would identify areas of excellence and opportunities to enhance agency decision-making, rationalise investment, and remove duplication. Follow CIO Australia on Twitter and Like us on Facebook… Twitter: @CIO_Australia, Facebook: CIO Australia, or take part in the CIO conversation on LinkedIn: CIO Australia Follow Byron Connolly on Twitter:@ByronConnolly Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe