Further $17m price tag for failed HR system

During a Budget Estimates hearing on Monday, the Special Minister of State faced questions about the newly allocated $17.1 million towards a future HR and payroll IT system.

This $17.1 million is additional to the $76 million that has already been spent by the Special Minister of State on the now-abandoned HRIMS program.

Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Peter Cain, directed a line of questioning to the Minister on how the Labor-Greens will progress delivering a digital payroll and HR system in the wake of the abandoned $76 million HRIMS program.

“The HRIMS program started in 2017. In the process of scoping prospective upgrades, the ACT Government discounted upgrading legacy HR21 and CHRIS21 systems,” Mr Cain said.

“Instead, they procured dozens of contracts with consultants over seven years, at a cost-to-date of $76 million with no product to show for this.”

“Now we’re back at square one in 2023, and the government has allocated a provisional figure of $17.1 million towards exiting HRIMS arrangements, and upgrading and redesigning the current systems.”

“The Minister said he has had ‘learnings’ from this $76 million wastage, but we haven’t yet seen whether these ‘learnings’ will deliver improved ICT infrastructure.”

“Ministers, and even a Premier and a Chief Minister, have resigned for wasting a much smaller amount of taxpayers’ dollars.”

“It is well past time for the Special Minister of State to resign.” Mr Cain concluded.