Australia appoints ‘digital transformation’ Minister

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has appointed a new Minister for digital transformation and cities in a Cabinet reshuffle this weekend.

“Angus Taylor will serve as the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister with special responsibility for Cities and Digital Transformation,” he announced.

“These are two key whole-of-government areas and they will be taken, continued to be driven through my leadership and my department in the future,” he said.

Prime Minister Turnbull moved the digital government portfolio to his department soon after taking office in September last year. New Minister Angus Taylor said he has a “strong interest and involvement in digital innovation”.

“Government needs to be clever with its services and systems if we are to deliver better health, education, and welfare while containing growth in spending,” he said.

“I am also delighted to have responsibility for cities. Our capital cities and regional cities struggle with affordability, amenity, and congestion. This must be a priority for the Federal government, as a major investor in transport infrastructure,” he added.

An intersection of the two segments of the new portfolio could mean a move towards new smart city-like initiatives for Australia.

This could be similar to Singapore’s Smart Nation portfolio, which is headed by two Ministers, looking at how public services can be improved with new tools.

Image by CeBIT Australia, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0