Purpose
The ICT Strategy 2021-2023 sets out the Department’s vision for our ICT services from 2021 to 2023. It outlines the four strategic priorities that will be our focus, the approaches we will take, the outcomes they will deliver, and how we will measure success.
The next step is to develop an operational roadmap, describing the projects and initiatives that will move us towards our goals.
Strategic context
The Information Services Branch (ISB) provides corporate and enabling ICT services to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department), 3 other agencies and numerous taskforces. ISB’s core purpose is ensuring that our customers have the technology they need to effectively deliver on government priorities. Supporting a diverse range of agencies and functions means out ICT environment and services are broad and complex.
The Department is responsible for providing fresh thinking and sound advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, coordinating cross-portfolio and cross-jurisdictional initiatives, and tackling issues and new priorities as they arise. The Department needs ICT services and tools that are responsive, collaborative, and focus on effective knowledge and decision making, while maintaining the security of our network, systems, and classified information.
The largest of the portfolio agencies that ISB supports is the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), which makes up half of our 3000+ customers. NIAA has a broad remit across policy and service management, and needs ICT services and tools that are aligned to and enhance business objectives and processes, and are efficient, secure and reliable.
By supporting the Department and our portfolio agencies, we also support the APS more broadly. Our ICT services and tools must support the Corporate Plan, the Government’s APS Reform Agenda, and must align to Whole of Government measures and initiatives.
Strategic Importance
The challenges that Australia has faced through 2019 and early 2020 have shown us the critical importance of being able to rapidly adapt to and anticipate needs, and secure and protect our national interests.
The public service will be faced with ongoing challenges that will continue to change how people interact with government services, and how governments work together.
We need to:
- Ensure we can quickly respond to emerging government priorities, and provide new services;
- Ensure our agencies, and the government as a whole, have easy access to meaningful information for timely decision making;
- Design our processes and technologies so they can transcend organisational boundaries and maximise interoperability within the APS enterprise;
- Work closely with our corporate counterparts to ensure we have a skilled and digitally enabled workforce, as we move further towards a digital economy;
- Make sure we are enabling a changing workforce and changing ways of working, and that we remain and employer of choice;
- Maintain the highest standards in cyber-security, underpinned by strong privacy and security protections, particularly as threats and targets rapidly evolve and shift;
- Enhance the agency’s cyber security culture making sure our staff are cyber aware and vigilant; and,
- Ensure the ICT capability is fit for purpose so it enables the Department and partner agencies achieve their mission and satisfy statutory obligations.
This strategy provides us with a way to ensure ICT is a critical enabler for the Department and our agencies, on the journey to building a stronger, more integrated, more resilient and more flexible public service.
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