NSW Ageing CIO retires

James Hegarty, current CIO for the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care as well as former IT head at the state's Department of Corrections, is retiring after around 30 years in the public service.

James Hegarty
(Credit: NSW Government)

Hegarty joined the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) in July 2002 to take on the challenge of consolidating systems from within the disparate Home Care, Ageing and Disability departments. It had four different payroll systems, three different finance systems, four different wide area networks and three different email systems.

The 13,500-strong department has now become part of the Human Services department after the NSW Government's decision to consolidate into 13 super agencies.

Previously, Hegarty had been the executive director of information management at the Department of Corrections. Prior to that he held senior positions within the NSW Department of School Education. He was also a foundation member of the NSW Government CIO Executive Council.

His last day with the department is 18 December when he is proceeding on leave prior to retirement. A replacement has not yet been determined.

The CIO position at the Department of Corrections has also undergone a slight change, with Wayne Ruckley stepping out of the role within the last few months to take up the mantle of acting assistant commissioner, according to a spokesperson for the department. There was a reshuffle at the top after the Deputy Commissioner Ian McLean went on long service leave, the spokesperson said. Director of planning and strategy Aaron Liu has moved up to become the acting CIO.