45 min
The CIO Australia Show: Has the DTA had its day? The CIO Australia Show
-
- Technology
The Digital Transformation Agency, or DTA, was established back in 2016 with an ambitious charter to steer the Australian public service towards being a world leader in the creation and delivery of digital services.
Few would argue that it’s fallen well short of that, with a string of high profile projects failing to deliver despite going way, way over budget. The agency has also had a different boss for almost every year of its existence, alarming rates of churn across staff and senior management, and an increasingly secretive and unaccountable culture, as any journalist who’s tried to speak to the DTA can attest.
Several major changes were set in train by incoming chief executive Chris Fechner – who unsurprisingly declined to join us – with the upshot being the DTA is shifting away from actually managing large-scale digital projects to operating in more of an advisory capacity.
Meanwhile, the Australian National Audit Office has commenced its audit into the DTA’s procurement practices, the highly anticipated findings of which are due in September.
In this episode of The CIO Australia Show, we’re fortunate to have three of Australia’s foremost experts on digital transformation in government: Lesley Seebeck, former chief investment and advisory officer at the DTA; Marie Johnson, chief executive at the Centre for Digital Business; and Rowan Dollar, chief information officer, Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
All three guests cite various reasons why the DTA has had its day, including arguably the biggest that you just heard at the top of the program. They also share their thoughts on how a more effective and consultative replacement might be created.
The Digital Transformation Agency, or DTA, was established back in 2016 with an ambitious charter to steer the Australian public service towards being a world leader in the creation and delivery of digital services.
Few would argue that it’s fallen well short of that, with a string of high profile projects failing to deliver despite going way, way over budget. The agency has also had a different boss for almost every year of its existence, alarming rates of churn across staff and senior management, and an increasingly secretive and unaccountable culture, as any journalist who’s tried to speak to the DTA can attest.
Several major changes were set in train by incoming chief executive Chris Fechner – who unsurprisingly declined to join us – with the upshot being the DTA is shifting away from actually managing large-scale digital projects to operating in more of an advisory capacity.
Meanwhile, the Australian National Audit Office has commenced its audit into the DTA’s procurement practices, the highly anticipated findings of which are due in September.
In this episode of The CIO Australia Show, we’re fortunate to have three of Australia’s foremost experts on digital transformation in government: Lesley Seebeck, former chief investment and advisory officer at the DTA; Marie Johnson, chief executive at the Centre for Digital Business; and Rowan Dollar, chief information officer, Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
All three guests cite various reasons why the DTA has had its day, including arguably the biggest that you just heard at the top of the program. They also share their thoughts on how a more effective and consultative replacement might be created.
45 min