Andrew Mills started work as CIO at the Queensland government on Monday, presiding over the government’s new ICT strategy and action plan to improve service delivery across the state. The former SA government IT head was appointed to the role in November. “This appointment comes at a critical juncture,” QLD IT minister Ian Walker said in a statement. “We have already unveiled the Open Data portal, launched the One-Stop Shop plan and released the ICT strategy and Action Plan; we need to ensure the momentum keeps going.” The Queensland government has had a tumultuous few years on the IT front, following the $1.2 billion QLD Health payroll disaster. Minister Walker said the Newman government is “working hard to ensure Queenslanders never have to face another debacle like the Labor-led failed health payroll system. “Labor’s waste and mismanagement cost Queensland taxpayers $1.25 billion,” Walker said. “We’ve put measures in place to ensure transparency around the way departments govern and report on their ICT projects and programs of work.” “This has been accomplished through the creation of an ICT dashboard which is available online for all to see. The dashboard shows information on significant IT projects in government departments, including their progress and cost,” he said. Meanwhile, the QLD government said on Wednesday that around 1,650 staff at Queensland Health will repay about $2.137 million in loans and overpayments following the introduction of an online payment system in November. The repayment option – which was part of the government’s efforts to recover millions of dollars in taxpayer funds lost following the health payroll disaster – enables staff to more easily manage their overpayments and loans. “Overpayments was just one of the many sources of pain following the introduction of Labor’s failed payroll system back in 2010,” said QLD health minister Lawrence Springborg. “I think the numbers reinforce that many of our staff are keen to move on and put the payroll issues of old behind them. The focus of the LNP Government is on making sure our people are paid the right pay, and are paid on time,” he said. “Just weeks after coming to government. I lifted the moratorium on repayments imposed by the former Labor Government in an attempt to recover what was then $91 million in overpaid wages, increasing at an average of $1.7 million each fortnight.” Around two-thirds or 55,598 staff have registered for the electronic payroll service. Related content News Amazon to lay off 9,000 more workers, including some at AWS The latest round of Amazon layoffs will impact AWS, Twitch, advertising and PXT, CEO Andy Jassy said. By Jon Gold Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Technology Industry Cloud Computing BrandPost What’s next for network operations Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Serge Lucio, Vice President and General Manager, Agile Operations Division Mar 20, 2023 8 mins IT Leadership Networking BrandPost Digital transformation obstacles: Stubborn challenges, what to do about them Value Stream Management is an increasingly essential approach to strategic transformation initiatives. To help teams more fully capitalize on the opportunities it presents, Broadcom is holding its third annual VSM Summit. By Marla Schimke, Head of Product and Growth Marketing, Broadcom's Enterprise Software Division Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Devops Software Development Feature CEO directives: Top 5 initiatives for IT leaders As organizations change course with economic gyrations, collaboration between IT and business becomes priority No. 1 for CEOs. By Stacy Collett Mar 20, 2023 7 mins IT Leadership 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