Victoria - 21st Century Approach to Government Information

The Victorian Parliament's Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee today tabled a report calling for improved access to Victorian Government information.

Coalition seeks input on draft ICT strategy

The Victorian Coalition Government is seeking feedback on a proposed ICT strategy developed by the Victorian Information and Communications Advisory Committee (VICTAC). The draft provides advice on the future management and use of ICT by government and how the Victorian Government can design and use information and technology to deliver better services.

Victoria launches App My State competition with $100,000 in prizes

Victorian Government Premier John Brumby has launched the world's biggest apps competition App My State and encouraged entries from everyone in Victoria.

Bracks Government delivering affordable high speed broadband

In Victoria, Information and Communication Technology Minister Marsha Thomson has encouraged property developers to seek advice from the Victorian Government to ensure that they do not pay over the odds to provide ultra fast fibre to the home (FTTH) broadband in new housing estates.

Broadband boost for Rural Breastscreaning

The Victorian Government has provided $1.9 million to help BreastScreen Victoria establish the Australian first Rural Broadband Digital Mammography pilot project.

Brumby Government Introduces FOI Reforms

The Victorian government has made changes to the Freedom of Information Act to enable easier for Victorians to lodge FOI applications.

Chronic Healthcare Transformed in Mildura

Medical care in Mildura has been transformed thanks to a broadband-based technology that is helping hospital patients monitor and manage their health in the comfort of their own homes.

Consumer Affairs Victoria on Facebook

You can now interact with Consumer Affairs Victoria on Facebook. The consumer affairs regulator made its first post through the social media giant on 18 July.

Country Fire Authority wins 2012 Government 2.0 Award

The Excellence in eGovernment Awards were announced at CeBIT Australia, in Sydney, on Wednesday 23 May 2012. The Governnent 2.0 award was won by the Country Fire Authority Victoria in collaboration with other Victorian fire and flood services for their Social Media Emergency Management Integration.

Delivery $1 Million for Electronic Sheep ID System

The Victorian Government will almost halve the cost of electronic identification tags to Victorian sheep farmers to support the introduction of electronic ID tags on a voluntary basis.

e-Government - News: A-G - Victoria - Archive

News items on e-Government activity in Victoria, Australia.

e-Government - News: H-S - Victoria - Archive

News items on e-Government activity in Victoria, Australia.

e-Government - News: T-Z - Victoria - Archive

News items on e-Government activity in Victoria, Australia.

Electronic Conveyancing to Save $100 Million

An electronic conveyancing system with the potential to save the community more than $100 million a year will be piloted this month, the Planning Minister, Rob Hulls, said today. Mr Hulls said eight financial institutions had signed up to trial the groundbreaking system, which will be Australia’s first for online property settlement and lodgement.

Emerging Technologies to Facilitate Open Government - Victorian Government Workshop

The push for 'open' government is gaining momentum globally and Australia is an active player with the recent Gov 2.0 Taskforce, numerous reports, and the impetus on government agencies to both adopt Web 2.0 technologies but also to open up data sets in order to make government more collaborative, participatory and transparent. But, what does this really mean and how is it impacting on those charged with making it a reality? This workshop is designed to enable practitioners within the government space to work together to identify and explore some of the key challenges they face, and, potentially, to gain a greater understanding about what 'open' government means for you.

Geelong leads new Frontier in Health Technology

Geelong Hospital's Intensive Care Unit is leading Australia as the only Australian ICU to have introduced cutting edge Smartcard technology to patients' bedsides.

ICT Investments A Boost For Victorian Services

The Victorian Government will invest $112 million in information and communications technology over the next four years - Victorian Budget 2007/08.

Inner West Families Find Way Across Digital Divide

Primary school students in Melbourne's inner west are conquering the digital divide thanks to the combined support of the Bracks Government, corporate donors and philanthropic groups. Minister for Victorian Communities Peter Batchelor today launched a pilot project that will provide refurbished, internet-connected computers to 400 disadvantaged families for use in their homes.

Internet Rules on VCE Results Day

Most of Victoria's 79,000 VCE students will use the internet to get their final results on Monday. Minister for Education John Lenders said the Internet service was by far the most popular method by which students could gain access to their VCE results.

Internet Training Connecting Communities across the State

A state-wide travelling classroom will help more than 1400 Victorians learn how to use the Internet and get online, the Minister for Community Development, Peter Batchelor, announced today.

Coalition launches Daylesford iPhone app to promote regional tourism

Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Media Release, Thursday, 23 May 2013. "Louise Asher today launched the Discover Daylesford iPhone application (app), providing visitors with accessible tourism information. The app complements the Daylesford, Lead a Double Life campaign, which is part of Victoria’s successful and long-running Jigsaw tourism campaign..."

Smart meter rollout reaches two million milestone

Energy and Resources Minister, Media Release, Thursday, 23 May 2013. "Energy and Resources Minister Nicholas Kotsiras today announced that two million smart meters have now been installed across Victoria with almost 80 per cent of households now able to experience the benefits of the new meters. Mr Kotsiras said in a speech to the Energy Users Association of Australia at their National Energy Market Update Seminar that this was a significant milestone for a project that had undergone a major transformation..."

Cyclists get warning on danger spots

by Marc Moncrief and Aisha Dow, The Age, May 22, 2013. "Researchers have identified the five areas in Melbourne where cyclists are most likely to be killed or seriously injured. An analysis of nearly 10,000 VicRoads accident reports, from January 2007 to June 2012, found that the areas highlighed in this map are the most dangerous..."

Victoria abandons IT shared services? Core CenITex services to be outsourced

Written by Renai LeMay. Delimiter, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. "Dramatic internal documents leaked from CenITex this week have revealed that the Victorian State Government plans to turn the IT shared services agency into a ‘broker’, rather than a provider of services, and that the Government is considering outsourcing massive chunks of CenITex’s work. The troubled agency’s future has been in a cloud over the past year, with the Victorian Government putting CenITex’s formal status on ice pending a number of investigations into its future. Following a series of troubling reports into its ability to deliver IT services to client agencies in the state, and audit reports finding “nepotism and favouritism” in the company’s contractual processes. It has also gone through major redundancy rounds, sacking 200 staff in one event in May last year, for example..."

CenITex to become service “broker”

Favours move to outsource desktop, processing, storage and network services, by Byron Connolly (CIO), 22 May, 2013. "CenITex, the Victorian government’s troubled ICT shared services agency, appears to be planning to shift from a provider to a broker of ICT services. It is believed CenITex chief Michael Vanderheide, briefed staff on May 20 about the shift in direction at the agency..."

Melbourne firies use drone to check dangling truck

By Ry Crozier. IT news, May 17, 2013. "Put to quick use. Melbourne's Metropolitan Fire Brigade is using one of its drones to survey a truck hanging precariously from a freeway in the city's north. A spokeswoman for the Brigade confirmed one of the Brigade's CyberQuads, an Australian-made vertical take-off and land (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle, was being put to use. Several Twitter users also captured the drone in action..."

Police news site steals the show

PS News, Edition 311, 15 May 2013. "The Victoria Police News website has been relaunched. Director of the Media and Corporate Communications Department (MCCD) at Victoria Police, Merita Tabain said for the first time the site was fully responsive and now automatically adjusted to the user’s tablet, smart phone or desktop computer..."

.melbourne domain gets ICANN approval

.melbourne URLs could be available in 2014, by Rohan Pearce. Computerworld, 13 May, 2013. "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has signed off on the creation of a new .melbourne top-level domain, with the new TLD passing ICANN's initial evaluation process. The decision means that URLs ending with .melbourne could be available as soon as next year. The initial evaluation period assesses the financial and technical ability of an applicant to operate a TLD..."

Global web address regulator approves .melbourne

Melbourne set to become one of the first cities in the world to inherit its very own slice of the Internet through the .melbourne new Top-Level Domain. ARI Registry Services, 11th May 2013. "A new targeted piece of the Internet completely devoted to Melburnians and the state of Victoria is one step closer to being available — after the global regulator of web addresses today gave '.melbourne' an official tick of approval. The year-long process applying for the new Top Level Domain led by the Victorian State Government, City of Melbourne and technology provider ARI Registry Services, has successfully passed the rigorous technical and financial evaluations set by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The .melbourne Top-Level Domain is one of the first Australian new domains to be approved; ahead of nearly 40 other Australian applications and an overall pool of approximately 1900 applicants globally. Melbourne will be joined by the likes of London, Tokyo, New York and other high profile world cities and regions securing their own piece of online real estate..."

The City of Melbourne a winner in domain name race

City of Melbourne, Media Release, Saturday, 11 May 2013. "The City of Melbourne and Victorian Government have secured initial approval to own the .melbourne top-level domain name, creating a vital piece of internet real estate that will expand Melbourne’s national and international marketing capacity. .melbourne and other top-level domain names will change the way the internet is used, with a move towards domain names like .melbourne, .AFL, or .google instead of traditional domains like .com or .com.au. Approximately 1900 applicants worldwide applied to ICANN for top-level domain names..."

Melbourne pips Sydney for internet domain name

by James Hutchinson. Australian Financial Review, Published: 11 May 2013 10:50:03 | Updated: 13 May 2013 00:05:26. "In the age-old rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney, being first is paramount. Now Melbourne has trumped its sister city in the latest high-tech stakes, gaining a new home on the web. ICANN, the global body that governs internet addresses, has awarded Melbourne its own top-level domain name. The move will allow businesses, government agencies and individuals to replace the .com or .org at the end of web addresses with .melbourne. At number 350 in the queue, the city is the first of 41 Australian entrants to gain their own slice of internet real estate, and one of 1900 to apply to ICANN last year. The approved application means web addresses using the .melbourne domain name will be available some time next year..."

Victoria's big new IT projects

By Ry Crozier. IT News, May 8, 2013. "Spending to dwarf that of ICT strategy. Victoria's emergency services, water utilities and transport agencies have emerged from this year's state budget with money for IT projects. An analysis of the budget papers by iTnews shows a number of IT projects have been granted forward funding, though few were mentioned in treasurer Michael O'Brien's speech to parliament. The funds, mostly for capital expenditure on IT and telecommunications systems, eclipsed the $19 million over four years set aside for implementation of the state's ICT strategy, released earlier this year..."

Coalition delivers $19 million for technology

Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips, Media Release, Tuesday, 7 May 2013. "The Victorian Coalition Government has allocated $19 million over four years towards the technology portfolio as part of the 2013-14 Victorian State Budget, Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips announced today. Mr Rich-Phillips said that the 2013-14 Victorian State Budget provided new funding to support the implementation of the Victorian Government ICT Strategy, announced earlier this year..."

Victoria SES goes mobile

Victorian State Emergency Service, 2 May 2013. "Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) has launched its new mobile website, putting emergency information in the hands of every Victorian. One third of visitors accessing ses.vic.gov.au during an emergency use a mobile device and the trend is increasing. The new SES website features a responsive design that automatically sizes itself based on the screen it is viewed on, creating a clearer, quicker browsing experience for users of mobile phones and tablets. The site offers a range of information aimed at helping Victorians prepare for the threat of flood, storm, earthquake and tsunami in their community..."

Acting Victorian Privacy Commissioner offers ID theft test

Online test looks at 11 different ways consumers could be exposed to identity theft, by Hamish Barwick. Computerworld, 1 May, 2013. "To coincide with Privacy Awareness Week, Acting Victorian Privacy Commissioner David Watts has launched an online identity theft test. The test examines 11 ways Australians could be subject to identity theft including the sharing of personal information via the Internet and data stolen from rubbish bins or mailboxes. It also offers advice on how to reduce the risk of identity theft..."