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Category: digital transformation

  • TVNZ to cut up to 68 jobs in restructure – ‘dire for democracy’

    RNZ News

    Television New Zealand will start talks from tomorrow with staff who will lose their jobs in the state broadcaster’s bid to stay “sustainable”.

    It is proposed that up to 68 jobs will be cut which equates to 9 percent of its staff.

    TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell told staff today that “tough economic conditions and structural challenges within the media sector” have hit the company’s revenue.

    She said “difficult choices need to be made” to ensure the broadcaster remained “sustainable”.

    Changes like those proposed today were incredibly hard, but TVNZ needed to ensure it was in a stronger position to transform the business to meet the needs of viewers in a digital world.

    RNZ understands a hui for all TVNZ news and current affairs staff will be held at 1pm tomorrow. This follows separate morning meetings for Re: News, Fair Go, and Sunday.

    A TVNZ staffer told RNZ it was not yet clear what the meetings meant for those programmes — whether they were to be fully cut or face significant redundancies.

    RNZ also understands 1News Tonight might also be affected.

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said of the job cuts: “It’s incredibly unsettling”.

    He said he felt for the staff there and acknowledged some would be at his media standup in Wellington.

    Luxon said all media companies here and around the world were wrestling with a changing media environment.

    Minister Shane Jones interrupted and said “a vibrant economy will be good for the media, bye bye”.

    Former prime minister Helen Clark said on X it was becoming increasingly hard for free to air public broadcasters to survive commercially.

    She asked if it was time to accept that, as with the BBC and ABC, public broadcasting should be publicly funded.

    ‘Dire implications for our democracy’
    Sunday presenter Miriama Kamo said the news of jobs possibly being axed was “awful”.

    “It’s devastating not just for our business, it’s devastating for what it means for our wider society.”

    She said along with the likely demise of Newshub it had “dire implications for our democracy”.

    When cuts were being made in news programmes at the state broadcaster that indicated how dire things had become.

    “I’m very very concerned about what the landscape looks like going forward.”

    A TVNZ news staffer who spoke to RNZ on the condition of anonymity said the most disappointing part of the process was finding out there would be job cuts via other media, such as RNZ and The New Zealand Herald.

    “Our bosses didn’t have the decency to be transparent about what was going on. You know, they say that they’ve been forthcoming over the past month over what’s going to happen in this company and whatnot — they haven’t.

    ‘What sort of vision?’
    “So it’ll be an interesting day tomorrow to see how widely the team’s affected, and to see what sort of vision they have for TVNZ, because in the time that I’ve been working there they keep talking about this digital transformation, and I haven’t seen any transformation yet.”

    The mood among current staff this morning was “pretty pissy”, particularly from those affected.

    “Obviously, not impressed,” the person said.

    Media commentator Duncan Greive said some TVNZ staff were hopeful an argument could be made against the job losses.

    Greive, who also founded The Spinoff, told RNZ’s Midday Report TVNZ staff working on Fair Go, Sunday and Re: News were invited to meetings today, and told to bring support people.

    He said staff have told him the news was devastating, but said they didn’t yet know how deep and widespread the cuts would be — leaving them hopeful their teams would not be as impacted on as they feared.

    Meanwhile, an organisation supporting news media staff said the hundreds of people facing redunancy would struggle to find new work in the industry.

    Deeply unsettling
    Media chaplaincy general manager Elesha Gordon said it was deeply unsettling for those whose livelihoods were on the line.

    She said 368 people (from Newshub and TVNZ) with very specialised skillsets would be stepping out into an industry that would not have jobs for them.

    Gordon said the proposed cuts were a “cruel and unfair symptom” of the industry’s financial state.

    Last week, TVNZ flagged further cost cutting as it posted a first half-year loss linked to reduced revenue and asset write-offs.

    The state-owned broadcaster’s interim financial results showed total revenue had fallen 13.5 percent from last year to $155.9 million.

    Its net loss for the six months ended December was $16.8m compared to a profit of $4.8m the year before.

    O’Donnell said the broadcaster’s management had tried to cut operating costs over the last year but there was now no option other than to look at job losses.

    ‘No easy answers’
    “There are no easy answers, and media organisations locally and globally are grappling with the same issues. Our priority is to support our people through the change process — we’ll take the next few weeks to collect, consider and respond to feedback from TVNZers before making any final decisions.”

    A confirmed structure is expected to be finalised by early April.

    TVNZ staff in Auckland
    TVNZ staff arrive to hear the news from their bosses. Image: RNZ/Marika Khabazi

    The layoffs at TVNZ have come one week after the shock announcement by the US corporation Warner Bros Discovery that it intended closing its Newshub operation in New Zealand by the end of June.

    It means up to 300 people will lose their jobs.

    Broadcasting Minister Melissa Lee told RNZ Checkpoint yesterday she had spoken to TVNZ bosses last week but it was not up to her to reveal details of the conversation.

    She declined to comment on Newshub’s offer to TVNZ to team up in some ways to cut costs, nor suggestions TVNZ could cut its 6pm news to half-an-hour or cancel current affairs programming.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • $60m Budget boost for Qld’s cyber unit

    Queensland’s cybersecurity unit has received a significant funding boost in the 2023 state Budget, with the government to pump almost $60 million into the office over the next four years. The Budget also contains funding for several digital projects, including a precursor to a digital twin of South-East Queensland and an upgrade of the state’s…

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  • What’s your vector, Victor? Canberra’s tangled web awaits

    In the wake of speculation that the Australian government may appoint Victor Dominello to ‘something’ significant to do with the digital delivery of government services, it’s worth considering the likelihood of success. Dominello has done good work in NSW. What could possibly go wrong? Well, first, we’ve been here before. We all know that the…

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  • A raw nerve exposed at the heart of govt tech refresh

    The referral of the dismal Parliamentary Expenses Management System (PEMS) project to the Auditor-General’s office for closer inspection has exposed a raw nerve at the heart of what was supposed to be a renewal of key government information systems. Dismal is the only word for it. The PEMS project has cost $66 million so far….

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  • Shorten calls for cross-jurisdictional govt digital services

    New Government Services minister Bill Shorten has laid out his commitment to increasing collaboration across digital services and government jurisdictions. Continuing to create digital silos, through the development of disconnected apps and websites, will only serve to frustrate Australians, according to Mr Shorten. He also stressed the importance of the Digital Transformation Agency, which is…

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  • Where to start: Personalisation in the Public Sector

    Partner content: It’s often not thought that digital personalisation on the web can be applied to public sector agencies and departments. However, expectations of the citizen services that public sector agencies deliver is changing, and monolithic government behaviour is no longer accepted. A proliferation of digital channels, increasing pressure on agencies to provide real-time and…

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  • Team augmentation helps IPSI drive innovation & growth

    Sponsored: For Sydney-based digital payment and cybersecurity solutions specialist, IPSI, the COVID pandemic produced a surge in demand for its data security, online payment and call centre payment services, putting a significant stretch on its skilled in-house resources. IPSI has specialised in online payments and secure call centre payments for 15 years, having worked with…

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  • What next for the rollout of digital government?

    State governments have recognised the importance of bolstering digital strategies in their recent budget announcements, with millions of dollars invested into various initiatives for the coming year.

    During budget speeches, the NSW government announced further investment in a Single Digital Patient Record system and WA set forth plans to implement single digital identities, showing that both governments are committed to addressing citizen needs head on.

    The Victorian budget also noted significant investment towards their proposed single digital presence platform earlier this year.

    These plans are a clear response to people’s increased expectations for more accessible, responsive, transparent and secure digital government services. And the onset of the global health and economic crisis has reinvigorated the role of digital services in everyday life.

    Citizens have greater expectation of government digital services

    People from all backgrounds and abilities are moving to online services, whether by necessity or choice. In fact, 80 per cent of the 1,500 Australian residents we recently surveyed used digital government services last year.

    These same respondents, however, are calling for digital improvements – such as pre-filled form technology and greater availability of medical data to healthcare professionals.

    A keen appetite for a single digital identity similarly shone through to streamline and simplify how we all engage with these services, as did a desire for more controls over how personal information is shared across government agencies.

    The digital investment announced by state governments so far this year is a welcome step towards transforming government services. But to achieve this goal, there are some key considerations to consider for a successful strategy implementation.

    Reinvigorate foundations

    Starting from scratch isn’t always possible, or necessary. With the right approach, many existing systems can be reimagined and transformed for an online future, rather than replaced.

    Assessing whether systems can be digitised to agile and scalable cloud platforms, which can result in real time insights and policy updates, is an important first step.

    Policy agility is key

    Policy evolution directly impacts people’s livelihoods, so implementing legislated changes through technology can understandably become complex and time-consuming.

    Taking an agile, modular approach to policy change can accelerate implementation and better assess the impact of each change. It also can drive greater collaboration and sharing between departments, agencies and partners.

    Unbiased data forges trust

    Unbiased, non-sensitive citizen data is a strategic asset which governments can use to make evidence-based decisions that in turn improve people’s livelihoods. When this data is securely shared across government platforms, it can optimise citizen experience, help governments form a single view of a person and their needs, improve efficiencies and reduce expenditure.

    But a privacy-first approach to citizen data is key – in fact over a third of respondents in our research cited privacy, trust, and security as critical to their use of these online services.

    In relation to sharing personal information, over fifty per cent of the respondents said they are comfortable doing so, but only if they know how it will be used and stored, emphasising the need for better disclosure.

    Humanise digital services

    Putting citizens at the core of every digital service – right from the design stage – is crucial. Stepping into citizens’ shoes to view their needs and challenges is so important.

    This may include deep research, prioritising citizen feedback and integrating HX (Human Experience) design in evolving services.

    Half of the people we surveyed want digital experiences to feel ‘human’ and show ‘empathy’. Combining Customer Experience, User Experience and Employee Experience techniques – with a layer of creative thinking – can achieve better overall HX.

    Leave no one behind

    Considering diverse abilities and needs of communities is essential to optimising the future of digital government services.

    We know that digital disadvantage coincides with other forms of social and economic barriers, meaning those who need support the most often face the greatest risk of being left behind on the digital journey.

    In fact, close to 90 per cent of people we surveyed believe governments need to better service those with a disability.

    By integrating inclusivity into platform design, such as considering whether technology is compatible with assistive technology, or if content is accessible in other languages, means governments can avoid building new barriers for people of various abilities and backgrounds.

    Optimise the innovation ecosystem

    An evolution as widespread as a digital government can’t happen in silo. Continuing to foster collaboration between the public sector, private entities, not-for-profit organisations, and the academic world rewards governments and their constituents with fresher ideas, more robust approaches, and strategies.

    When approached properly, enhancing digital services can provide governments with more access to unbiased data, enable greater agility to rapidly adopt policy changes and make government interaction seamless.

    That is ultimately what citizens want – an engaging, open and reliable way to use digital government services, wherever and whenever they need.

    Allen Koehn is Associate Vice-President and General Manager of Public Sector at Infosys.

    This article was prepared by Infosys in partnership with InnovationAus.com.

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  • QLD govt funds Bundaberg blockchain project

    The Queensland government has announced the first grant from it agribusiness digital transformation program, co-investing almost $160,000 in a Bundaberg fruit and vegetable co-op’s digital project.

    Eight more grant recipients have been approved for more than $1 million in total grants for various agtech projects, but they will be announced progressively by the state government.

    The inaugural grant has been awarded to the Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers to fund 50 per cent of a $330,000 digital platform and provenance project for member growers.

    The project will deliver an online dashboard for growers in the Wide Bay region, demonstrate an “integrated blockchain paddock to plate system”, trial other traceability technology, and extend a training program.

    regional Australia
    The Queensland Government has coinvested $160,000 in a Bundaberg growers co-op’s digital project.

    “This funding, as part of our COVID-19 economic recovery strategy, will support agribusinesses to become digitally aware and ready to respond to future disruptions,” Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said.

    “Digital technology creates new ways of doing things that adds value to the agricultural sector by working more precisely, efficiently and sustainably.”

    The Queensland government has allocated $5.5 million over three years to a Digital Transformation in Agribusiness initiative as part of its COVID-19 recovery.

    It includes up to $1.2 million in grants for industry organisations to help develop and trial agtech in the first round of an Agribusiness Digital Solutions Grant Program.

    Applications for the first round closed in November last year and attracted 22 entries, but the first recipient wasn’t announced by the government until Monday.

    Mr Furner said there was strong interest in the grants.

    “Under a co-investment model, grants of up to $200,000 were offered for projects that enhance digital skills, drive business efficiencies and create regional jobs across Queensland,” he said.

    “The approved grants of $1.045 million are for projects that use a range of technologies including the Internet of Things, cloud computing, intelligent apps, big data, automation, artificial intelligence and sensors.”

    Labor member for Bundaberg Tom Smith said the grant to the Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers would create new digital and internet-based opportunities for its members.

    “The COVID-19 Pandemic created serious challenges for the agriculture sector, but the Palaszczuk Government has worked closely with industry to find solutions for emerging problems and stand shoulder to shoulder with our farmers,” Mr Smith said.

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  • Govt unveils $1.2B digital package

    The federal government will spend $500 million on “enhancing” myGov and My Health Record as part of a $1.2 billion funding package aiming to position digital at the centre of Australia’s economy.

    Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday morning announced the significant spending, which will feature in next week’s federal budget. The new money is on top of the $1 billion provided in the October budget six months ago.

    The funding package also includes new spending for the Consumer Data Right, digital skills training, tech graduates programs and an expansion of the Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund.

    The Morrison government has unveiled a $1.2 billion digital package

    In announcing the funding package, Mr Morrison emphasised the prominent role the digital economy will play in Australia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Over the course of COVID-19 we saw the rapid escalation of the digital elements of our economy become a reality, and as a government we’re seeking to take hold of that momentum and ensure that continues to propel us forward,” Mr Morrison told the media.

    “The digital economy is central to our government’s economic plan. Digital transformation is central to Australia’s economic plan and securing our economic recovery.”

    The bulk of the funding – $308.1 million – will be going towards “enhancing” My Health Record, the controversial electronic health record which was made opt-out in early 2018.

    The funding will be used to add support for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, connecting Residential Aged Care Facilities and improving telehealth and emerging virtual healthcare initiatives.

    Through My Health Record, Australians will be able to access their COVID-19 test results and immunisation status, and receive alerts about the vaccines.

    Just over $200 million will be going towards improvements to myGov, in an effort to make the platform a “simpler and more tailored experience for Australians based on their preferences and interactions”.

    Early last year the government began a program to develop a new version of myGov to initially run alongside the existing platform and eventually replace it, with an aim of providing a user experience more in-line with private sector offerings.

    Deloitte has completed the bulk of this work and a beta version of the new myGov was launched last year. The consulting giant has been paid nearly $35 million so far for this work. The government appointed a Systems Integrator Panel late last year for further work on the revamped myGov, but is still yet to publicly reveal which companies are part of this.

    While not mentioning the new myGov prototype or wider program, the government fact sheet on the program mentions many of the elements this project involves, including making the myGov service more personalised, an improved service dashboard and document upload functionality, and a digital assistant.

    Another major funding item is $111.3 million to “accelerate” the rollout of the Consumer Data Right (CDR), following frustrations over the slow progress in the banking sector, the first implementation of the initiative.

    The government will also look to ensure the CDR is interoperable with international schemes, as recommended by a recent fintech inquiry report.

    This money will go towards developing the rules and standards for the energy sector, which will be launched next year, to assess and designate telecommunications firms and to conduct a strategy assessment for a roadmap to roll out the CDR to the wider economy.

    The $1.2 billion digital spend has been broadly welcomed by the sector.

    The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) welcomed the announcement, saying it is a “good start”.

    “We applaud the federal government’s recognition that this transformation is not merely a national one but a global one that is happening. The AIIA has been calling out our need to keep pace with the global trend,” AIIA CEO Ron Gauci said.

    “The investment of $1.2 billion is recognition of the fact that the ICT sector is at the heart of every industry and the federal government must continue to invest in this sector to secure our economic independence for years to come.”

    Australia Investment Council chief executive Yasser El-Ansary also supported the package, saying it will “significantly propel innovation and technology that will drive increased productivity in every sector of the economy”.

    Industry group DIGI, whose members include Facebook and Google, worked on the strategy as part of the Digital Experts Advisory Committee.

    “This major investment in digital skills, and emerging industries and technologies, show that the government sees the incredible enabling impact of technology economy-wide. If Australia caught up with the growth rate of other tech-leading countries internationally, the technology sector could be contributing $207 billion per year to GDP by 2030,” DIGI said in a statement.

    Other funding in the package include $10.7 million for a Digital Skills Cadetship Trial, which will provide work-based opportunities for digital jobs.

    “This aims to deliver digital skills in a more flexible and timely way, through a four-to-six month cadetship comprising formal training with on-the-job learning. The government will work with industry to trial the design and delivery of tailored training to meet employers’ digital skills requirements, coupled with on-the-job experience provided by host employers,” the government fact sheet said.

    The government will be establishing a Next Generation Emerging Tech Graduates Program with $22.6 million over six years, which will fund more than 200 competitive national scholarships in areas of emerging technology.

    The Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund will also be expanded with an extra $43.89 million, on top of the $26.5 million provided in last year’s Cyber Security Strategy.

    For SMEs, the budget will allocate $12.7 million to facilitate independent advice for business owners to help build digital capabilities, with up to 17,000 SMEs to access the services.

    More than $30 million of the package will be going towards securing future connectivity using 5G and 6G mobile networks, and improving standards for trusted digital identities, while $15.3 million has been allocated for electronic invoicing.

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  • Robert’s influence on govt service delivery to remain

    Stuart Robert will still have significant influence over government service delivery and digital transformation despite a new ministerial position, with ongoing roles in two major Cabinet committees.

    Mr Robert was announced as the new Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business last month after serving as government services minister since mid-2019. He had been previously rumoured to be taking over as Home Affairs minister as part of this reshuffle.

    While Mr Robert didn’t get that major role, his influence on government policy will likely still increase this year, including on the planned refresh to the digital transformation strategy.

    With the dual role as chair of the service delivery committee and a new member of the expenditure review committee, Mr Robert will play a prominent role in overseeing the government’s digital transformation and service delivery, and on the spending behind it.

    He has been appointed to the influential Cabinet expenditure review committee, which deals with government spending around the budget and MYEFO, and is chaired by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, with whom Mr Robert has a close relationship.

    Mr Robert will also remain as chair of the Service Delivery and Coordination Committee, despite no longer being the relevant minister.

    Stuart Robert
    Stuart Robert’s influence on government service delivery will remain

    The chairs of this committee are not always appointed based on their ministerial portfolio, and Mr Robert will be remaining in the role after being appointed following another reshuffle last year, where he took over from now Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan.

    The Service Delivery and Coordination Committee looks at the implementation of the government’s key priorities in the area, including connected service delivery and communications.

    While Linda Reynolds, who is on extended health leave from Parliament, is now the responsible minister, Mr Robert will still be closely involved with the government’s digital transformation efforts, including the significant myGov rebuild, the digital identity scheme and the upcoming refresh of the digital transformation strategy.

    Mr Robert announced late last year that the Digital Transformation Agency would be updating the strategy, which was first unveiled in late 2018. The strategy’s primary aim is to make all government services available digitally by 2025.

    The new strategy will take into account the changed nature of service delivery due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased demand for these services.

    The DTA released a discussion paper on the new strategy late last year, with feedback due by the end of 2020. 

    Mr Robert also oversaw the launch of the new Services Australia department in late 2019, replacing the former Department of Human Services. 

    The government services portfolio includes significant tech projects including digital identity, the myGov rebuild, the internal cloud uplift scheme, the COVIDSafe app and the new data-sharing scheme which is currently the subject of a senate inquiry.

    It also includes oversight of the government’s IT procurement through the DTA, which has seen a sharp uptick in spending on contractors and consultants in recent years.

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  • Squiz deep dives into the global fast lane

    Home-grown digital experience platform leader Squiz has invested tens of millions of dollars in recent years building out its enterprise transformation products, and restructured in 2020 to put the company on a new growth trajectory.

    Squiz is one of my favourite Australian tech companies. Founded in 1998 during the first dotcom boom, the company boot-strapped its way to $80 million+ revenue, 400-odd employees, and offices all over Australia, as well as the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Singapore and New Zealand.

    Led by founders who are still passionate about the market they operate in – chief executive John-Paul Syriatowicz and executive chairman Steve Barker – the company is the poster child for an Australian business technology success story.

    Squiz John-Paul Syriatowicz
    Global outlook: Squiz chief executive John-Paul Syriatowicz has restructured for the next round of growth

    Squiz has all of the characteristics of the archetypal company that Australian industry policy aims to create.

    It builds software here in Australia. The software it builds is world class. It owns and continues to invest in its intellectual property.

    The company is export focused on a fast-growing global market. It is profitable and it is debt-free.

    And finally, through its acquisition of the FunnelBack search technology from the CSIRO (in addition to the team that developed it), Squiz is experienced in collaborative research, taking institutional IP into turning it into a long-term wealth-creating success for the nation.

    In this episode of the Commercial Disco, I spoke to chief executive John-Paul Syriatowicz (or JP as he is almost universally known) about the company’s product development focus, and a 2020 corporate restructure aimed at delivering a next level of growth in international markets.

    For the first time in its 23-year history, the company has taken an equity partner to fund a new build-phase – building depth and breadth across its product line as well as building its sales infrastructure for the US and other international markets.

    Squiz has been in the game a long time, through many generations of industry policy. The company has a history of getting on with it. Certainly, there is no sense that it has ever waited on government to provide a leg-up.

    But neither is the company is bystander, and Mr Syriatowicz says there are a couple of areas where government could make a big difference.

    The first relates to skills. Like the rest of the software development and digital delivery sector, Squiz is dealing with talent shortages made more difficult by the pandemic. Demand continues to rise, but the ability to import specialist talent from overseas now that closed international borders makes this no longer an option.

    “That makes it hard,” Mr Syriatowicz said. “We fortunately had some [development] infrastructure already overseas and we have been able to use that.”

    “But we are proud of the fact that we develop this software here in Australia, and we are keen to continue to do that. We have no intention of changing that structure, but it is certainly challenging now that it has become so hard to get hold of people.”

    It does not need to be this hard. A program designed to attract top-tier talent to come to Australia to live and work might now be possible. Australia is looking attractive right now in terms of the health response to COVID, as well as its economic recovery.

    “A two-week stay in quarantine doesn’t seem like such a trial if it is set against a long-term work placement. It would be a great way to bring new knowledge and [world-class] skills into the country and would be a real boost to our economy.”

    The preference is always to hire Australians, he said. But there are some roles that are subject to intense international competition and where Australia has not been able to produce home grown talent.

    The second policy area where government could make a difference in building a large scale, viable software development ecosystem is simple. Fix the R&D tax incentive in relation to software.

    Mr Syriatowicz says that “we have invested tens of millions of dollars on product development in recent years” but have benefited from the tax incentive at about 1 per cent of the investment amount.

    “So when it comes to considering how the R&D tax incentive is going to impact on product investment strategy and decisions, it’s really not a meaningful consideration.”

    A stronger incentive in R&D in the software development sector would have a positive impact on the risk profile of investments. If looked at from an industry-wide perspective, it could drive faster development of the software product development eco-system.

    In an industry of weightless exports, this could have tremendous benefits for the economy – where companies developing intellectual property retain that IP within their Australia-based corporate structure.

    “There are a lot of reasons why it doesn’t make sense to develop software in Australia. We do it here because we are proud of it, and we’ve established ourselves and have the infrastructure to do it,” Mr Syriatowicz said.

    “But there are lots of things that work against us. Like the general taxation environment and a range of other aspects – like distance and access to talent – all of these things can make it a challenge.”

    “Anything that could work to make it more attractive to stay here [in relation to product development] and to remain headquartered here would be a great thing,” he said.

    “I am not pushing for lower tax rates or anything else like that specifically. But I am saying [government] needs to look at these things wholistically and say, ‘what can we do to ensure that that talent – that sovereign capability – stays here and is developed here.”

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