Mahesh Sharma | August 05, 2008
MEDICARE will introduce Tandberg videoconferencing technology across its state and territory offices, as the federal Government tries to curb agencies' growing flight budgets.
The department is building videoconferencing rooms across its eight offices, using Tandberg's Kodiak equipment, and is working with Optus, Alphawest and ServicePoint to carry out the installation.
"The main drivers were the financial aspects of reducing air travel, and the environmental aspects of reducing carbon emissions, which are important," Medicare IT projects director Stan Thompson said.
"Also there's the improvement in staff time when you take out the extra costs of hanging around airports and going to and from there. It's the usual videoconferencing drivers."
Mr Thompson said Medicare's installation could connect with other agencies.
The department has used the experience and leveraged contracts of Centrelink's videoconferencing project, which has been taking place gradually over the past year.
"The Department of Human Services has three lead portfolio agencies, which are Centrelink, Medicare and the Child Support agency.
"Human Services itself is looking at the opportunity to use the capabilities within each agency and across the other agencies, which can work more closely. This initiative will contribute to that.
"Procurement and customer service departments right across the board are looking at all sorts of opportunities to get improve their capabilities."
Centrelink has installed 42 Tandberg videoconferencing systems nationally, including the 6000MXP, which requires a highly customised room built on-site, costing several hundred thousand dollars.
This system has been introduced across customer service centres and area offices across Australia, as well as the national support office in Canberra. It is being used to connect staff with each other and also service some customers living in rural and remote communities.
Centrelink's spokeswoman confirmed that Medicare had piggybacked Centrelink's contract, as part of Human Services' centralised purchasing approach.
"From time to time, government departments and agencies may take advantage of contractual arrangements with suppliers that have been negotiated by other departments and agencies if those arrangements meet their business needs," the spokeswoman said.
"In the case of Centrelink's contract for videoconferencing services, Medicare Australia has engaged the same services under Centrelink's existing contract, under these piggybacking provisions."
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner has been pushing for departments and agencies to combine their purchasing power to extract better deals from technology contracts.
Human Services Minister Senator Joe Ludwig confirmed Medicare's videoconferencing procurement was a part of this initiative.