For those of us interested in finding out what is happening across the Australian Government ICT industry sector, the Gershon Review is available for reading by clicking on this link: Gershon Review

There is also articles about it in AustralianIT here and here, there are some interesting comments from the Australian Government Finance Minister, Lindsay Tanner, especially his suggestion that “the drift to contractors simply reflects a lack of internal controls.”

On the ground it’s more likely to be driven by an operational requirement that can’t be met via a Public Service Act that doesn’t always deliver the required skill sets.

I know, I’ve been there, the Public Service Act simply doesn’t deliver resources in a timely fashion, nor does it always provide resources with the required skillsets. Don’t get me wrong, Governments of any persuasion are filled with talented individuals working under their Public Service Acts, however the private sector ICT industry as a whole has surpassed the earning capacity provided by the public sector and their engagement processes are way quicker. This translates to a more efficient method of acquisition and remuneration, coupled with a higher output capacity expectation.

Anyway, I’m going to have a read of this review over the next few days and I’ll provide some input to the public debate in due course. Your comments are welcome.