Schwarten keeps Qld ICT portfolio

in brief Queensland politician Robert Schwarten will keep the information and communications technology portfolio in Anna Bligh's new cabinet, it was announced last week.

Schwarten has been the state's ICT minister since 2006, along with public works, however, Anna Bligh has allocated his additional housing responsibilities to Karen Struthers.

Schwarten suffered an embarrassing gaffe during the campaign, attacking the wrong opposition spokesperson on the Liberal National Party election policy on government ICT spending cuts.

During the campaign, the state's IT industry formed a cohesive lobbying block, the ICT Industry Workgroup, which pressured both sides of politics to release details of their ICT policies and meet industry demands for government support to create 30,000 new ICT jobs.