Tech in Gov – key takeaways and reflections
A decade ago, a previous boss and business leader opened an industry event with “technology change will never be again this slow”. The phrase has subsequently been nuanced by others referring to the pace of broader business change. Having recently spent two days in Canberra at the Technology in Government event, I wanted to share some observations and highlights.
So, what has changed…
Firstly, kudos to the event organisers for providing opportunities for start-ups and innovators. We expect to see and hear from the digital giants and there is a clear opportunity for Government across all three public sector tiers to deliver citizen value and enhanced customer experience by working with SMBs and start-ups, there is even recent procurement policy direction to support this approach. On the subject of procurement, it was great to hear Peter O’Halloran (Digital Health ) and Wendie Boyd (DAFF) share their vision and plans to enable transformation in their respective agencies through evolving more contemporary procurement approaches. This, of course, was also lapped up by my peers in the audience, especially given the relatively lean times in the Federal sector over the last six months.
From an infrastructure perspective, it was interesting to hear the practical use cases for Edge Computing delivered by Kristin Auld (AFP) and how it can effectively deliver and capture data (Intelligence), and thereby support key personnel in remote locations. As most of you will be aware, sometimes the so-called ‘silver bullet’ of Cloud / SAAS / IAAS can let us all down owing to latency issues.
I was encouraged by Matthew James’ (AIHW) automation and visualisation presentation on the amazing raft of data available across an increasingly broad spectrum of health domains. Using information to create powerful stories to drive internal change and external outcomes across health.
Data sharing was a powerful theme picked up in many sessions. A positive development from both Federal and State governments now actively encouraging data sharing through publishing policies over the last few months. A great example was highlighted by the inspiring work presented by Sally Major (NT Government). Finding a way to overcome barriers and ensure sensitive data can be shared for better child safety outcomes – yes ,you will need a good privacy lawyer and most probably need to change existing legislation. The need for legislation in and around technology change, privacy and new capability remains a conundrum for many. A key lesson here is to let your passion for the outcome drive a result. Don’t ever accept that it is all too hard.
A few things have not changed of course. A lot of discussions on AI and how Federal government can leverage its mature record keeping and IM disciplines in a closed environment. A perfect use case for LLM perhaps? Also, a lot of discussion on AI without use cases or context that is a little baffling, to be honest. The industry must strive to declutter some of its own complexities and inefficiencies.
For those interested, event swag favourites are still socks, water bottles, pads and pens. Coming to an AI gift register soon no doubt!
All-in-all, a very chilly, yet enjoyable two days reconnecting with Federal, State and Local government leaders and the industry eco-systems providers that enable them.
The pace of technology change will never again be this slow, so how will you manage the risk, harness your data and information, and collaborate to prioritise the new opportunities for your organisation?
Published 29th July 2024
Mike Lafford
Mike Lafford is a highly experienced senior business manager with over 25 years of experience delivering strategic advisory services to C-level executives and supporting business strategy and major technology initiatives.
