❓ Mr. Cook questions the lack of an IT strategy in WA, particularly in relation to the Square Kilometre Array. Mr. Barnett defends the government's approach, highlighting investment in supercomputing infrastructure and asserting IT is deliberately separate from the science portfolio.
AnsweredQoN 509Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
509. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Science:
I ask a supplementary question. I will certainly send it.
That article points to the fact that WA has no IT strategy at all. With that
criticism, given the importance, as the minister says, of the Square Kilometre
Array, will he commit to an IT strategy to support the digital economy in
Western Australia?
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
509. Mr R.H. COOK to the
Minister for Science:
I ask a supplementary question. I will certainly send it.
That article points to the fact that WA has no IT strategy at all. With that
criticism, given the importance, as the minister says, of the Square Kilometre
Array, will he commit to an IT strategy to support the digital economy in
Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
We will develop our policy as we see fit. The member will be
aware—I think he may have been there—of the opening of the
supercomputers complex at Curtin University. It is pretty damn good.
Mr R.H. Cook : That
has nothing to do with it whatsoever.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
We put a lot of money into it. Does the member want to have it or not? That is
one of the most powerful computer systems in the Southern Hemisphere. The cable
link�ups that will go into the Murchison are significant. As I said, technology—applied
technology or IT—is not part of the science portfolio the way it is
configured in Western Australia. That is very deliberately so.
aware—I think he may have been there—of the opening of the
supercomputers complex at Curtin University. It is pretty damn good.
Mr R.H. Cook : That
has nothing to do with it whatsoever.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
We put a lot of money into it. Does the member want to have it or not? That is
one of the most powerful computer systems in the Southern Hemisphere. The cable
link�ups that will go into the Murchison are significant. As I said, technology—applied
technology or IT—is not part of the science portfolio the way it is
configured in Western Australia. That is very deliberately so.
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