IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Perhaps it was the idea of an identity card hitting the headlines again, or maybe all the noise around e-health.

Whatever the reason, this is no short-term phenomenon: we have reached something of a critical point, as many organisations have no choice but to pull this out of the too-hard basket and take a serious stab at getting it right.

Currently there is a range of systems being used to exchange information that use various formats.

To ensure all systems can effectively communicate, a standard exchange format is required.

Federal and state ministers have agreed to release draft legislation for the healthcare identifiers regime for public consultation ahead of its planned introduction to the federal parliament in the autumn 2010 sittings.

More than 21,000 Australian businesses have signed up to the AUSkey initiative since 17 May launch, according to the Federal Government.

As reported by Computerworld Australia the initiative sees the use of an encrypted software key to save time dealing with up to 12 State and Federal government agencies for financial reporting and to access services.

“This project is well aligned with the Rudd Government’s vision for Australia’s digital future,” Senator Conroy said.

The first looks for a vendor to undertake a project to replace the state's radiology information system as well as to replace or extend the existing picture archive and communications system Carestream, which is currently in use in Royal Hobart Hospital and Launceston General Hospital.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon says that by 2012, Australians will have internet access to a "personally controlled e-health record", with the initial funding paying for core infrastructure and regulatory arrangements.

At the Australian Information Industry Association National Broadband Forum held in Melbourne today, NEHTA CEO Peter Fleming said a CSC report released yesterday backs the organisation's own findings that the vast majority of Australians want electronic health records.

According to a spokesperson for the state's Health Support Services division, which handles IT and shared services such as datacentre services for NSW Health, the outage began around 9am on Saturday morning.

Over 10 000 council seats which includes 4277 wards will be contested in eight metropolitan councils, 45 districts and 231 local municipalities.

The importance of local elections is often overlooked by the average voter, and this apathy is reflected by industry. We spend much of our time criticising national government for non-delivery, when we should be holding our local government accountable too. We need to raise issues of e-government and service delivery at a local level if we want to see meaningful change.

The contract will be for five years, and will commence this year in July and last until the end of June 2015.

The Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is to deploy a shared electronic health record system.

In DHHS documents the agency said it was looking for a data aggregation, and clinical and business intelligence solution as a foundation for the three Area Health Services, Statewide and Mental Health Services, Tasmanian Ambulance Service and other business units within DHHS.

At the ALP State Conference in Hobart, Mr Bartlett said the National Broadband Network would allow revolutionary E-Health capabilities, building on high tech initiatives already being developed across Tasmania.

The North West Area Health Service has replaced its 20-year-old patient administration system with an up-to-date integrated statewide system.

The new system, launched at the Mersey Community Hospital today by Health Minister Lara Giddings, allocates each patient a single identification number which will apply across the State and lays the foundation for the introduction of the electronic patient record.

Tasmania is at the frontier of opportunities offered by the National Broadband Network (NBN), with the first nodes soon to be rolled out in Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point.

“Those opportunities will transform the way we do business, and drive our economy to new heights,” Mr Bartlett said.

Following the successful trial of mobile electronic patient care information at the Tasmanian Ambulance Service (TAS), the state's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is now looking at a wider electronic health records system.

Like most other state health departments, Tasmania's DHHS must contend with a number of siloed information storage methods - from plain paper to mainframe computer, and now mobile applications - but it has a vision to arrive at one central repository of data.

Technology has become one of the biggest points of differentiation between the major political parties, making it a key consideration for voters.

Last week's ICT Policy Forum at the National Press Club in Canberra brought together the ICT political representatives from the Labor Party, the Coalition and the Greens to debate their policies in front of a full house of industry stakeholders and media.

Wealthy IT entrepreneur Dave Stevens says the National Broadband Network is a waste of money and more attention should be put on improving connections in rural areas through technology, including wireless and satellite.

The comments come as pressure builds on the Government to release a cost-benefits analysis for the massive infrastructure project, with entrepreneurs including TPG chief executive David Teoh and Wotif founder Graeme Wood calling for such a report.