Victorian Council eyes 24x7 online access to services

The software will form both the foundation and delivery vehicle for the Council’s seamless access, sharing and storage of information (SASSI) strategy, according to Shire CEO Michael Kennedy.

The Council is expecting to achieve faster turnaround times for existing services and improved quality of services by providing more options for people to interact and collaborate with the Council, Kennedy said.

“We don’t want to merely extend access to information, although this will be a positive by-product [of implementing Objective],” explained Kennedy.

“We want to actively enable business transactions to be conducted 24x7.”

One of the first processes to come under the new system is that of applying for local law permits. It will now be available at any time of day and be completely processed electronically – from lodgement through to approval by multiple authorities and storage.

Previously applicants had to download a form, fill it out and return it to the Council, where it was scanned, forwarded to the relevant officer for review and approval, and then followed by outbound correspondence, Kennedy said.

The Council expects it will be able to process up to 10,000 applications for permits, license renewals and other activities online within a year.

Other processes on the cards for automation include statutory planning and drafting, publishing and distributing meeting agendas and minutes, and online surveys as part of public consultation and community engagement.

The first stage of the implementation will also see Objective’s software integrated into other internal systems, such as the Council’s Technology One-based property management system, GIS and Merit CRM.

The Mornington Peninsula has a permanent population of 140,000 people and covers 720 square kilometres, making the Council the third largest in Victoria.

In other software news, ASX-listed ComOps says it has won a contract to deploy a corporate performance reporting solution for Enterix, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated.

Enterix Australia manufactures the line of InSure FIT fecal immunochemical tests sold in Australia and internationally as an aid in colorectal (bowel) cancer screening.

ComOps will integrate with Enterix’s existing Patient Database system with a customised front end to enable Enterix to report and provide analytics on standard business processes, including revenue, product sales by category, and other information.

Enterix expects to go live with the solution by the end of 2008.

IBA Health’s iSOFT Health division has also won a $14 million deal supplying a pharmacy management solution and support services to the West Australian Department of Health.

It is said the solution will assist WA Health in implementing a series of pharmaceutical reforms, including online PBS processing.

collaboration comops ecm iba isoft networking objective