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The latest federal Budget has put an end to the previous government’s initiative of supporting more women to take up tech-related roles amid boosts towards other skills and planned digital transformation works.
The government is set to save $3.9 million over two years from 2022-23 by not continuing the Morrison government’s Supporting Women’s Mid-Career Transition into the Tech Workforce, which was listed in the March 2022-23 Budget.
While this has been cut, other skills initiatives will be been placed on the table. This includes $2.6 million in funding towards a national study on, among other things, adult digital literacy skills led by Jobs and Skills Australia along with $5.8 million for women in STEM programs.
Also newly announced was $34.8 million in funding over four years from 2022-23 to onboard and maintain the Skills of Education and Employment, the Self Employment Assistance and the Harvest Trail Services program on to the Workforce Australia Digital Platform, supporting the delivery of integrated employment services.
The Budget also went over funding agreements for the government's previously announced $50 million TAFE Technology fund, which will support improvements to facilities, workshops, laboratories and simulators and was one of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's election promises in the lead-up to the May federal election.
Players in the IT channel were largely in approval of the government doubling down on the TAFE Technology fund.
“We are heartened to see the federal government embracing skills development and putting such focus on enabling Australia to be more sophisticated in technology to help future-proof our economy,” said Roy Lovli, head of Kyndryl Consult for Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ).
“We want our customers to grow and to do so they need the relevant skills.”
Maria MacNamara, director of government relations and innovation strategy for Kyndryl A/NZ, added that it was a “smart technology Budget, focused on building a pipeline of tech skills and laying down the foundations to reshape the economy”.
Simon Bush, CEO of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), also welcomed the commitment towards the skills focus.
“It’s pleasing that [the] Budget is fully funding the government’s election commitments to reducing the skills crisis that exists in the Australian tech sector – it’s critical for our tech sector to thrive in order to drive Australia’s economic growth,” he said.
Outside of skills, the government also outlined $2.5 million over five years from 2022-23 will be used to establish a First Nations Digital Advisory Group to consult with First Nations people on the design and delivery of digital inclusion initiatives.
Cyber security
On the cyber security front, the government pledged $12.6 million towards combatting scams and online fraud. In response, Proofpoint A/NZ VP Crispin Kerr welcomed the funding, but said more needed to be done.
“While this investment represents a positive step forward, we also encourage further collaboration between governments and enterprises to promote knowledge sharing to inform appropriate cyber regulation and ensure best practice,” he said.
“Placing the human element of security front and centre is paramount to the success of these investments and in protecting Australians as the threat landscape continues to evolve.”
The government’s Cyber Hubs pilot program, focused on improving the government’s provision of cyber security services, will also be extended to the tune of $31.3 million.
The initiative has been under consideration at the federal level for a while now, with the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) seeking industry input on the Cyber Hubs last year in November 2021.
Digital transformation
A range of digital transformation initiatives are also on the cards, one of which includes a $46.7 million investment to build digital livestock traceability systems, as well as the promotion of on-farm biosecurity.
For healthcare, $23.3 million over two years from 2022-23 will go towards the modernisation of the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s business systems to streamline processes for the medicines and medical devices industry, as well as enhancing the Australian Unique Device Identification Database.
In addition, the government is also set to provide an additional $13.2 million over four years from 2022-23 to build data linkages between the Health Products Portal, which provides the capability to process, apply, track, pay and managed health-related products and services, and Services Australia.
Across the Attorney-General’s portfolio, $27.7 million over four years from 2022-23 will be invested to enhance the capability of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in order to digitally manage evidence.
As part of reforms for the Child Care Subsidy package, funding of $47.7 million over four years from 2022-23 will be used by the Department of Education across fraud reduction and non-compliance activities, one of which being a digital attendance validation solution, offering real-time reporting of child attendance at care.
The federal government is also looking to build on previous work to implement programs, tools and mechanisms for the National Biodiversity Data Repository, with $10.5 million in funding to be split across states and territories to transform digital environmental assessments, with the precise splits yet to be determined.
