2005 Canberra Branch Conference IT in Government

Working on Both Sides of the Counter: The Dilemma of Servicing Information Policy Developers Mr Graham Fry, Chief Information Officer, Department of Attorney General's   Biography: Graham Fry manages the Information and Knowledge Services Group for the Attorney-General's Department. The Group reports directly to the Secretary and is responsible for all the information, communication, technology and knowledge management for the Department. It manages the core Department's network and a inter-jurisdictional secure network used for counter-terrorism communication. Under Graham's management the Group has delivered a major upgrade of ASNET, a server consolidation project, two VoIP projects, a CobiT-based governance framework, international aid projects to law libraries in Tonga and Nauru, technical refurbishments of two watch offices, and the national register of legal instruments (ComLaw). Graham entered the IT industry as a programmer in 1982 after nine years in administration and line management positions. In 1988 he established Context Training and Consulting Pty Limited. The business provided software development, project management and training services throughout Australia, receiving the Recognition Award from CREEDA in 1999. Context continued to trade until it was sold in 2000. Graham joined the Attorney-General's Department in 2003 as the ICT Branch Head and assumed the current CIO position later that year on the retirement of the previous occupant. Graham's ICT qualification is a Bachelor of Information Technology from the University of Southern Queensland. He also holds qualifications in business communication and procurement. He has published two referenced journal articles dealing with the economics of computing.   Topic synopsis Fourteen of the policy areas administered by the Attorney-General's department directly impact the management of information and communications technology. The owners of these policies are not satisfied by mere compliance within the Department's ICT environment. They expect A-G's to set an example; to be a showcase. Policy areas also expect the CIO to represent their interests to peer-CIOs. Yet the ICT community - both public and private sectors - sees the Attorney-General's CIO as a front office - providing information and acting as a lobbying point. This presentation is a case study in balancing these two interests. The take-home points focus on delivering services in an intense political environment, and making compliance as painless as possible.

 

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Last updated: 8 November 2005