FST Media: Tell us a little about your appointment to the ICT/Innovation portfolio. What areas of digital innovation hold a particular interest for you?

Minister Kelly: Our world is increasingly being shaped by new innovative technologies and, unlike the previous government, the McGowan Labor Government is interested in seeking out opportunities in this exciting industry. This is why I am incredibly privileged and excited to be appointed WA’s very first Minister for Innovation and ICT.

“This facility is a major boost for our economy and will be a real-time nerve-centre protecting large enterprises, industries, governments and even nations from cyber attack,” said Matt Kean, NSW Minister for Innovation.

The state government has sweetened the public-private collaboration with a $1.67 million investment in the facility, which will expand upon BT's existing security operations centre in North Sydney. The newly expanded hub will be BTs first R&D facility based outside the United Kingdom.

The three-year agreement, jointly funded by the Department of Industry and the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation, will provide a direct channel between the NSW Government and Data61’s development team to manage cybersecurity threats against the state.

NSW Minister for Finance, Services and Property, Victor Dominello, said cybersecurity would be an initial focus of the collaboration with Data61.

The proposal, released by the Turnbull government last week, also promises to give consumers better access to their banking data and more relevant data on banking products.

In a statement, Treasurer Scott Morrison said the open banking regime has the potential "transform the way in which Australians interact with the banking system."

The all-in-one service will allow both public servants and citizens to create charts, graphs, diagrams, and dashboards using government data sets, according to tender documents. Data will be made accessible via government APIs, databases and flat files.

Agencies will also be able to save, share, or publish content with authorised users, allowing seamless sharing between departments.

The single data visualisation tool will replace the multiple visualisation technologies the currently in place.

More than 1,500 Australian consumers and 130 digital opinion leaders were surveyed for the report, which drew insight from technology heads from the commercial and government sectors, according to EY.

The report revealed that nearly half (49 per cent) of digital opinion leaders disagreed with the statement ‘The Government is doing a good job in using technology to improve the services it provides’. Fewer than one in five thought leaders agreed with the statement.

Government departments and technology providers throughout Victoria will now use VendorPanel’s platform for government-based ICT services procurement, Gavin Jennings, Special Minister of State, announced.

The eServices Register is mandatory for all the inner budget departments and agencies covered by the Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB).

The Register processes the bidding for government work for suppliers helping the Government make informed purchasing decisions across a range of suppliers.

The request comes a month after the release of the Productivity Commission’s Data Availability and Use report, which urged the Government to improve individuals’ access to and control of their own data.

“Increasing availability of data can facilitate development of new products and services, enhance consumer and business outcomes, better inform decision making and policy development, and facilitate greater efficiency and innovation in the economy,” the report said.

We review some of the key digital beneficiaries of the NSW Government’s $72.7 billion spending program.

Government Admin – iVote to be rebuilt

Hinting at a possible expansion of the state’s digital voting facilities, the NSW Electoral Commission will receive nearly $23 million over four years to enhance and secure their online systems, including “an end-to-end solution for the disclosure of political donations, expenditure and the lodgment of public funding claims.”

The funding boost is part of a broader scheme to digitise government services, as well as bolster the state’s digital security provisions for state records, according to Queensland's Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy, Leeanne Enoch.

“Our challenge is to improve government service delivery against this backdrop of digital transformation, open up our data to provide the building blocks for the knowledge economy and make better use of government data to unlock Queensland’s full potential,” Enoch said.

Set to be built in the Melbourne metro area of Docklands, the hub will create a congregation and collaboration point for investors, industry corporates, researchers, and budding fintechs, attracting investment to a fast-growing industry, according to a government release.

The hub will also provide “targeted mentoring services to help resident start-ups develop new business skills, connect with customers and bring new products and services to market,” the release said.

Allocated over four years, the money will be used to establish the Academic Centre of Cyber Security Excellence (ACCSE), an initiative headed by the University of Melbourne and WA’s Edith Cowan University, to provide research and training for Australia’s cyber security professionals.

According to Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training, the ACCSE will fill the immediate skills gap and assist future job growth for the cyber security industries.

Despite the ongoing rollout of the national broadband network, which spurred a 26 per cent boost in average speeds since last year’s survey (from 8.8Mbps in 2016 to 11.1Mbps today), Australia has dropped two places in the global average speed rankings – from 48th to 50th place.

The survey ranked Thailand and New Zealand sixth and eighth place respectively within the Asia-Pacific region, besting Australia eighth place.

The Australian team – consisting of members from NSW-based technology firms Block8, AgriDigital and Veredictum – was judged to have the “highest potential for commercialisation”, according to the adjudicating panel.

The Consensus hackathon, held last May, required teams to develop an application, utilising blockchain technology, to solve safety concerns in a future dominated by autonomous vehicles.