Minister for Corporate Information Services, Lauren Moss has announced Sandie Matthews (above photo) as the head of the new Office of Digital Government which will play a key role in supporting and driving ICT jobs in the Territory.
The Office of Digital Government will focus on new opportunities to grow the Territory’s economy, to create new jobs in their urban, regional and remote centres, to set the young generation up for the future and to help solve some of the significant social challenges faced.
“Ms. Matthews has a long service history of working in large Government service delivery departments with a unique understanding of how Government direction and bridging the gap between Business and Information Technology can enable successful change and deliver outcomes that improves services to the broader community,” Ms. Moss said.
“Ms. Matthews recently spent nine months on secondment with the Queensland Government Chief Information Officer to assist in lifting leadership capability within the technology domain across government departments by ensuring a collaborative and integrated approach to innovation, strategy, leadership, planning and development activities. Her skills and experience will be invaluable as we increase our focus on the job-creating ICT sector”.
When Ms. Matthews starts in October, one of her first jobs will be working on the finalisation and implementation of the Digital Strategy for the Northern Territory. On September 13, the NT Government launched the ‘Towards a Digital Strategy for the Northern Territory’ discussion paper and a public forum, which will inform the creation of a Digital Territory Strategy.
“Territorians need a Government that recognises innovation and understands that the growth of digital technologies is radically changing the way we live, work and play, and is vital to ensure the Territory does not get left behind,” said Ms. Moss.
“Creating a culture of innovation must start at the top, and must be reflected in every area of Government. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, expanding and diversifying our economic growth, the delivery of housing services, education, health, water and land management, renewable energy, and procurement processes.”
The Office will have a key role in progressing ICT related Election Commitments including Digital Territory Strategy, Open Data, Digital Standards, and Data Analytics.
Featured image via Shay King’s LinkedIn page.