The Department of Finance has published a Next Steps paper in its project to develop a whole-of-Government solution to the problem of managing digital records in the Australian Public Service (APS).
In partnership with the Australian National University, the Department is developing practical means of identifying requirements and extending the nature of digitisation — part of a three-year initiative to modernise the public sector.
The program follows a 2016 feasibility study that examined the business, technical and financial costs and benefits of a whole-of-Australian-Government digital records management solution.
The Department said the study found the APS failing to take advantage of modern techniques for digital recordkeeping, leading the current initiative to explore non-traditional records management technologies.
“The four key outcomes of the Digital Records Transformation Initiative are to make effective use of the smart technology that has emerged, but not yet been incorporated, into records management practices; improve productivity through the use of automation; and increase the re-use of information assets,” the Department said.
A further aim was to increase compliance with regulations for the management of records.
It said the Next Steps paper outlined a planned cooperation with the Digital Transformation Agency’s co-Lab Innovation Hub with the ultimate aim of improving the Government’s investment on information management, and enabling vendors to develop and offer solutions to meet the changing business requirements of Government.
The Department’s three-page Next Steps paper can be accessed on its website at this PS News link.