❓ Mr. Love questions the Premier about the implementation of the Firearms Act and the digital firearms management system, citing the Auditor General's report. The Premier defends the government's IT project management and highlights improvements and oversight mechanisms.
AnsweredQoN 201Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
2025 Transparency Report—Major
IT projects
201. Mr Shane Love to
the Premier:
I
refer to the Auditor General's 2025
Transparency Report—Major IT projects, which
highlights the Cook Labor government's management of major IT projects,
including the digital firearms management system, also known as the firearms
portal.
(1) Will the Premier admit that
the government's rushed and botched implementation of the new Firearms Act has
left law abiding West Australians navigating a broken system that simply does
not work?
(2) Given the Auditor General's
findings, will the Premier now do the sensible thing and immediately ask the
Minister for Police to extend the transition period under the Firearms Act 2024 until the
portal is fully built, tested and actually capable of supporting compliance?
IT projects
201. Mr Shane Love to
the Premier:
I
refer to the Auditor General's 2025
Transparency Report—Major IT projects, which
highlights the Cook Labor government's management of major IT projects,
including the digital firearms management system, also known as the firearms
portal.
(1) Will the Premier admit that
the government's rushed and botched implementation of the new Firearms Act has
left law abiding West Australians navigating a broken system that simply does
not work?
(2) Given the Auditor General's
findings, will the Premier now do the sensible thing and immediately ask the
Minister for Police to extend the transition period under the Firearms Act 2024 until the
portal is fully built, tested and actually capable of supporting compliance?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) My government has
strengthened its approach to IT project delivery by implementing improved
governance, guidance and oversight mechanisms. The Office of Digital Government
has issued a suite of guidance materials and frameworks to support agencies in
planning, delivering and managing IT projects effectively. A new IT
modernisation framework will be made available to agencies this week. The
framework will directly address issues identified in the audit, guide IT
modernisation efforts and improve cost transparency.
The Office of Digital Government
and Treasury have worked together on several reforms, including a staged
funding model for IT projects that enables better planning and cost certainty
prior to full funding of all decisions. We know that the digitisation of
government services and processes is a historically significant change for the
entire public sector.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the National Party, this is
your question that the Premier is responding to.
Mr Roger Cook: We are undertaking a significant
transformation of the way we do business and deliver services. The work that DGov
is doing is to be commended in terms of continuing to make sure that we
modernise the way we do government.
The Leader of the
National Party referenced the firearm systems. That was not one of the systems
that the Auditor General monitored, but the Auditor General did actually make
some observations on our continued efforts to improve and modernise the way we
procure IT systems and the way that we run government. In fact, the Auditor
General said this morning that she acknowledged the state government's focus in
recent years on digital transformation and the upgrade of legacy IT systems
that present significant risk to service delivery. Additional guidance and
support are now available from the Office of Digital Government, as I said. The
Department of the Auditor General's audit found clear benefits from applying
these frameworks. In commenting this morning on 6PR, the Auditor General also made
the observation that the Office of Digital Government has introduced a project
delivery and assurance framework that works very well, and that projects that
do not use it fall behind. She also said that in some ways this demonstrates a
good news story for the efforts of the Office of Digital Government around its project
governance and assurance frameworks.
Point of order
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Direct relevance—the Leader
of the National Party asked a very simple question around delaying the rollout
of the Premier's failed portal, and he has not even touched on that.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Members! I am going to have to
say it again: points of order will be heard in silence. Member, I am not going
to uphold the point of order. The Premier or the minister can answer the
question in the way they feel fit to respond.
Questions without notice resumed
Mr Roger Cook: The Auditor General went on to say that
things are improving under the digital capability fund reporting. These are
important and complex projects, but proper planning is required. Finally, she said
that the Department of Treasury and the Department
of the Premier and Cabinet have done some really good work, but that this
is still a work in progress.
It is clear that
what my government is doing is transforming the way that we deliver government
services, making sure that we continue to modernise government and making sure
that the community are the beneficiaries of that. It is complex work and it is
work which is continuing to improve, and that is acknowledged by the Auditor
Genera l
strengthened its approach to IT project delivery by implementing improved
governance, guidance and oversight mechanisms. The Office of Digital Government
has issued a suite of guidance materials and frameworks to support agencies in
planning, delivering and managing IT projects effectively. A new IT
modernisation framework will be made available to agencies this week. The
framework will directly address issues identified in the audit, guide IT
modernisation efforts and improve cost transparency.
The Office of Digital Government
and Treasury have worked together on several reforms, including a staged
funding model for IT projects that enables better planning and cost certainty
prior to full funding of all decisions. We know that the digitisation of
government services and processes is a historically significant change for the
entire public sector.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the National Party, this is
your question that the Premier is responding to.
Mr Roger Cook: We are undertaking a significant
transformation of the way we do business and deliver services. The work that DGov
is doing is to be commended in terms of continuing to make sure that we
modernise the way we do government.
The Leader of the
National Party referenced the firearm systems. That was not one of the systems
that the Auditor General monitored, but the Auditor General did actually make
some observations on our continued efforts to improve and modernise the way we
procure IT systems and the way that we run government. In fact, the Auditor
General said this morning that she acknowledged the state government's focus in
recent years on digital transformation and the upgrade of legacy IT systems
that present significant risk to service delivery. Additional guidance and
support are now available from the Office of Digital Government, as I said. The
Department of the Auditor General's audit found clear benefits from applying
these frameworks. In commenting this morning on 6PR, the Auditor General also made
the observation that the Office of Digital Government has introduced a project
delivery and assurance framework that works very well, and that projects that
do not use it fall behind. She also said that in some ways this demonstrates a
good news story for the efforts of the Office of Digital Government around its project
governance and assurance frameworks.
Point of order
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Direct relevance—the Leader
of the National Party asked a very simple question around delaying the rollout
of the Premier's failed portal, and he has not even touched on that.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Members! I am going to have to
say it again: points of order will be heard in silence. Member, I am not going
to uphold the point of order. The Premier or the minister can answer the
question in the way they feel fit to respond.
Questions without notice resumed
Mr Roger Cook: The Auditor General went on to say that
things are improving under the digital capability fund reporting. These are
important and complex projects, but proper planning is required. Finally, she said
that the Department of Treasury and the Department
of the Premier and Cabinet have done some really good work, but that this
is still a work in progress.
It is clear that
what my government is doing is transforming the way that we deliver government
services, making sure that we continue to modernise government and making sure
that the community are the beneficiaries of that. It is complex work and it is
work which is continuing to improve, and that is acknowledged by the Auditor
Genera l
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