A rich NSW budget boasting a $3.4 billion surplus off the back of the sale of state energy assets has led to funding for tech projects in health, emergency services and government service delivery.
Digital service delivery has made a strong showing once again, with the state pouring more funding into its customer-facing agency Service NSW and its push to move government transactions online.
NSW Health has also obtained funding for a trio of major new projects, but is yet to reveal the full financial commitments for the initiatives.
However, it did detail plans to spend $10 million in 2016-17 on a health system-wide digital platform that will deliver a "base functionality" of consistent clinical systems and infrastructure, for the benefit rural patients and doctors in particular.
Another $6.5 million in 2016-17 will be spent on building consistent and standardised digital patient records across NSW public hospitals, and $4.2 million will add pathology results to the HealtheNet health records interface.
The overhaul of the emergency services communications network, flagged by the NSW Telco Authority last year, will be propelled by $45 million in new funding.
Other newly funded projects include:
- $31.8 million to add and enhance digital transactions at Service NSW
- $9.8 million for the establishment of a best practice ICT project delivery framework intended to keep tech projects on time and on budget, including greater support for gateway reviews
- $6.5 million to the NSW Self Insurance Corporation for upgrades to its data warehouse
- $2.9 million to trial GPS tracking for domestic violence offenders within Corrective Services
- $7 million for an IT upgrade at the Department of Industry, Skills and Regional Development to enable changes to crown lands legislation
- $2.3 million for an upgrade to the state's industrial relations IT platform, and another $2 million to upgrade Unisys solutions at the NSW Treasury
- $4.5 million to the crown solicitor's office for a new practice management system
- $6 million to the NSW Police for a 'tactical telecommunications' program
- $1 million for IT system improvements at Infrastructure NSW
- $883,000 for a vote count back system, $1.9 million to facilitate electronic mark-off of voters at polling places, and $1.5 million for a universal postal voting system at the NSW Electoral Commission.
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