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Anonymous tip prompts Qld IT review

CITEC, the Queensland Government's primary technology provider, will hand over two reviews into its information and communication technology consolidation (ICTC) program to the Crime and Misconduct commission following anonymous allegations made about the program.
Written by Josh Taylor, Contributor

CITEC, the Queensland Government's primary technology provider, will hand over two reviews into its information and communication technology consolidation (ICTC) program to the Crime and Misconduct commission following anonymous allegations made about the program.

An anonymous email sent to the department made allegations regarding CITEC's Foundation Infrastructure Project (FIP) in mid-April, according to a statement from CITEC. The anonymous complainant made allegations of procurement, infrastructure, datacentre and funding issues, but according to CITEC, there were no solid leads to go on.

"Despite repeated requests for details, no solid information to support the allegations has been provided," the statement said.

CITEC is responsible for providing IT services to all Queensland government agencies. Last year, CITEC absorbed the government's Technology Transformation Program, which is responsible for implementing a whole-of-government approach to ICT infrastructure. One of the main projects in this program is the FIP. The aim of the FIP is to establish one centrally-managed network, datacentre and services offering that Queensland government agencies will be able to sign up to voluntarily.

In response to the anonymous allegations, the department launched an internal review into the program and additionally brought in auditing company Deloitte for a two-week review of the FIP. CITEC said the Deloitte review did not uncover any critical issues that would prevent the project from proceeding.

"Given that the independent reviews have determined that there are no issues that would prevent the continuation of the tender process and the ICTC program, the department will not be responding to any further allegations unless detailed evidence is provided," CITEC said.

Despite no further review taking place, both reviews "will be forwarded to the Crime and Misconduct Commission" according to CITEC.

When questioned on whether it was standard government procedure for two separate reviews to be launched from the basis of a single anonymous email, CITEC told ZDNet Australia that "the department assesses all complaints received and determines what action is to be undertaken including referral to the Crime and Misconduct Commission".

A statement from the Crime and Misconduct Commission said the reviews would be examined and the commission would determine whether it agreed with the findings of the report. The commission has not revealed what actions may arise from this examination.

In the meantime, tenders for the FIP were progressing, according to CITEC. However, these had not yet been finalised and no contracts had yet been signed with any supplier.

The Queensland auditor-general has also undertaken a review of a number of ICT programs across the Queensland Government, including the ICTC program. These findings are expected to be tabled in the Queensland Parliament in the near future.

CITEC received $30.1 million in capital expenditure in this year's Queensland budget to continue the implementation of the whole-of-government system for Queensland ICT infrastructure.

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