Victorian
Government
Contact Centre
1300 366 356

Main Menu

Categories, RSS and More

Please enter the URL that you'd like to shorten or click here to shorten current:

ICT Investments A Boost For Victorian Services

From the Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Victorian Budget Media Release, 1 May 2007

Victorians will get more modern, efficient services in critical areas such as education and community safety as part of $112 million investment in information and communications technology over the next four years.

The Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Tim Holding, said the 2007-08 State Budget helped meet the challenges of keeping pace with new technology to deliver better services.

"The Bracks Government understands the benefits that new technologies can bring to the lives of Victorians and to the operation of effective and efficient services," Mr Holding said.

"The range of programs announced in today's Budget will make a real and positive difference across Victoria.

"We are investing $61 million over the next four years to implement Ultranet, a statewide online teaching and learning system across Government schools.

"While the ICT industry is thriving in Victoria, it is essential that we back our students by giving them access to current technologies.

"We will provide $7 million this year to upgrade ICT infrastructure in government schools by replacing older PCs with new technology.

"The Bracks Government is also investing in new technologies and expanding the use of existing and new equipment in the fight against crime and the support of the emergency services.

"This year we will provide $700,000 for 250 new laptops for the Victoria Police, and over the next two years we will invest $3.4 million for facial recognition technology to allow faster and more efficient identification of suspects and offenders."

The Office of Police Integrity will have its capabilities boosted, through a $13 million investment to develop an in-house telecommunications intercept function and additional resources to the Special Investigations Monitor to oversee the use of the interception.

Mr Holding said $8.3 million had also been allocated to replace outdated paper systems for the Victorian State Emergency Service and provide real time tracking of incidents and resources.

Mr Holding also highlighted other ICT initiatives in the 2007-08 State Budget:

$3 million over four years for the Technability program, which will provide ICT support for people with a disability, particularly those who are visually or hearing impaired;
$1 million over four years to increase the competitive edge of Victorian tourism businesses by helping them to make best use of the internet for marketing and trading;
$3 million to develop a cross-agency registration and licensing system, including replacement of the VicRoads Registration System;
$1 million to assist producers comply with the National Livestock Identification System;
$4 million over four years to improve the bandwidth of Electorate Offices Wide Area Network, allowing MPs to be better connected to the Parliamentary hub and to help them deal more efficiently with constituent inquiries;
$6 million over four years to deploy the Electronic Conveyancing System, which will allow for paperless transactions, reducing red tape for home buyers and businesses buying and selling property; and
$1 million over four years to provide an Electronic Document and Records Management System across the Department for Victorian Communities.