Fran Foo | August 12, 2008
THE Rudd Labor Government's climate change focus, coupled with the impending Gershon review of federal technology and communications procurement, will lead to hundreds of thousands of desktops being replaced - a boon for local computing businesses.
About 140,000 desktop machines are due for replacement
In April Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner announced the appointment of British efficiency expert Peter Gershon to conduct an extensive audit, agency by agency, of the $16 billion federal government technology spending bill.
The main aim is to slash costs and cut duplication when purchasing ICT goods and services.
Individual government agencies are responsible for product selection but Sir Peter and his team have been poring over reams of data in a bid to identify efficiency gains.
It is understood public servants are using about 140,000 Pentium 4 desktops between three and four years old.
Technological advances have resulted in less power-hungry systems, especially in newer laptops that chipmaker Intel Australia claims are up to 17 times more energy efficient than older desktops.
"The provision of desktop computers is one of the areas under consideration as part of Sir Peter's independent review of the Australian government's use and management of ICT," a spokeswoman for Mr Tanner said.
"Typically, agencies replace their computer workstations on a rolling three to four year time scale.
"In selecting a product, agencies abide by the Australian Government Procurement Guidelines and will consider a range of value characteristics including price, support and efficiency," she said.
Sir Peter is poised to release his findings at the end of the month.
The Rudd Government has formed a taskforce to bolster its environmentally friendly agenda.
"An interdepartmental committee has been established to identify opportunities for government to lead by example and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, waste, energy and water use in government operations.
"This includes opportunities to reduce energy use in government buildings, including energy use in lighting, air-conditioning and heating, computers and other electrical equipment," the spokeswoman said.
"Their recommendations will be considered by government, and the committee will also oversee the implementation of election commitments."
For all forms of procurement, government agencies were required to include environmental issues in value-for-money decision, she said. "The Environmental Purchasing Guide and the Green Office Guide, produced by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, assist agencies in this regard."
Apart from recycling, reducing paper usage, especially printouts, is also high on the green agenda.
The private sector is leading the charge in finding ways to cut paper usage.
HSBC Bank Australia, for example, embarked on an evaluation process in March to install a system requiring staff to swipe their employee cards at any printer before the print job begins. Telco Optus does not allow rubbish bins under workers' desk, requiring them to physically discard and recycle waste in a common area.
It would be up to individual agencies to deploy such systems, the Finance Department spokeswoman said.
"Many agencies have instituted environmentally friendly policies for paper usage and recycling, toner cartridge recycling and computer equipment disposal."
The use of high-end videoconferencing systems is also in the mix as the Government aims to reduce carbon emissions by reducing air travel.
Last week, Medicare said it would introduce Tandberg videoconferencing technology across its state and territory offices to slash flight budgets.
The Government expects use of videoconferencing to increase, which is good news for equipment suppliers such as Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Polycom.
"Many agencies with offices around Australia have invested in videoconferencing facilities, providing an alternative to air travel.
"Given technological advances in this field in recent years that have improved the effectiveness of videoconferencing, attention is being given to continuing to increase the use of videoconferencing," Mr Tanner's spokeswoman said.