While chatting with a colleague it hit me!
What the Government needs to do is mobilise its internal resources - already mostly paid for - to take a look at NEHTA and the PCHER. Program.
There are 2 key resources they might use.
First we have:
The Australian Government Information Management Office
The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO), Department of Finance and Deregulation is working to make Australia a leader in the productive application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to government administration information and services.
e-Government Strategy
The strategy charts how the Government is building on progress in e-government to date, and how the Government is progressing towards the vision of connected and responsive government by 2010. Activities are in four main areas:
- meeting users' needs
- establishing connected service delivery
- achieving value for money
- enhancing public sector capability.
ICT Reform Program
AGIMO programs
Further information on AGIMO programs is available on the following topics pages:
- ICT Strategy & Governance
- ICT Procurement
- ICT Service Improvement & Delivery
- ICT Security & Authentication
- ICT Better Practice & Collaboration
- ICT Infrastructure
- ICT Investment & Budget Advice
Recent Publications
- Australian Government ICT expenditure, 2008-09 – 2009-10
- Interacting with Government: Australians' use and satisfaction with e-government services - 2011
- Australian Government Architecture Reference Models version 3.0
- A Guide to the Australian Government: Structure, Organisations and Key People - October 2011
- The Australian Government’s study into the Accessibility of the Portable Document Format for people with a disability
More here:
Looking at those AGIMO programs - who better to advise Senator Collins and the Committee on the quality and so on of what has been done by DoHA and NEHTA in the PCEHR Program.
Better still this organisation reports to the Finance Department led by Penny Wong!
The other entity is, of course the Auditor General.
Read what these people are intended to do!
About Us
The Auditor-General is responsible, under the Auditor-General Act 1997 (the Act), for providing auditing services to the Parliament and public sector entities. The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) supports the Auditor-General, who is an independent officer of the Parliament.
The ANAO's primary client is the Australian Parliament. Our purpose is to provide the Parliament with an independent assessment of selected areas of public administration, and assurance about public sector financial reporting, administration, and accountability. We do this primarily by conducting performance audits, financial statement audits, and assurance reviews. The ANAO does not exercise management functions or have an executive role. These are the responsibility of entity management.
We also view the Executive Government and public sector entities as important clients. We perform the financial statement audits of all Australian Government controlled entities and seek to provide an objective assessment of areas where improvements can be made in public administration and service delivery. We aim to do this in a constructive and consultative manner. This includes working co-operatively with those with key governance responsibilities in entities, including Audit Committees.
As part of its role, the ANAO seeks to identify and promulgate, for the benefit of the public sector generally, broad messages and lessons identified through our audit activities. The ANAO's Better Practice Guides disseminate lessons on specific aspects of administration. In addition, our newsletter, AUDITFocus, captures succinctly some of our experiences that are likely to be of general interest to public sector managers.
The ANAO has extensive powers of access to Commonwealth documents and information, and its work is governed by its auditing standards, which adopt the standards applied by the auditing profession in Australia. In accordance with these standards, our performance audit, financial statement audit and assurance review reports are designed to provide a reasonable level of assurance. The actual level of assurance provided is influenced by factors such as: the subject matter of the audit, the inherent limitations of internal controls, the use of testing and cost considerations.
The ANAO adopts a consultative approach to its forward audit program, which takes account of the priorities of the Parliament, as advised by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, the views of entities and other stakeholders. The program aims to provide a broad coverage of areas of public administration and is underpinned by a risk-based methodology. The final audit program is determined by the Auditor-General.
The ANAO plays an important professional role by contributing, both nationally and internationally, to the development of auditing standards, professional practices and the exchange of experiences through participation in various peer and professional organisations.
Here is the link!
Assessment and review by these two agencies of what has gone on, who has done what with whom and why, how well it has been done, is it reasonable and safe to proceed, where we now are and so on is what the Committee needs. With this expert advice the Senate Committee can then decide what comes next.
Even if the reporting of the Committee was delayed for a month or two, in the grand scheme of things it would not be any real problem and we could also all know that there were sensible hands on the tiller going forward!
How annoying I did not think of this when writing this late last week.
Silly me!
I apologise in advance if such referrals have already happened for offering gratuitous advice!
I apologise in advance if such referrals have already happened for offering gratuitous advice!
David.
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