Today, I released the latest edition of a report on Australian Government ICT expenditure, covering the three years to 2010-11.  

The first edition of the report was published in January 2012. The latest edition includes 2010-11 data. The report is based on data the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) within the Department of Finance and Deregulation (Finance) collects from agencies as part of the annual ICT benchmarking exercise.

The report provides aggregate figures on ICT expenditure and use by agencies. It shows that the Australian Government spends about $5 billion per year, which is about 5% of the Australian ICT market, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.

The total amount spent – $5 billion – has not changed much over the three years, in real terms. When the increase in government activity is taken into account (using an indicator such as total budget expenditure), this shows that ICT is supporting more government activity and that the government is getting greater value from its ICT.

It is important to note that while we are spending a similar amount on ICT, we are still increasing our ICT capability, which we need to do to support delivery of new services.  Our target is that at least 30% of ICT expenditure be on new projects.  We have met this target in each of the past three years – reaching 34% in 2010-11.

The next report with the 2011-12 data will be published in 12 months time. The report is also available through www.data.gov.au.

You are welcome to submit any feedback about the report to ictbenchmarking@finance.gov.au.