The Western Australian Government has set up a new office to guide ICT reform.

The new role of Chief Information Officer has been set up to enact the reforms intended to cut costs and speed up service delivery across Departments and Agencies.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will be in place by July, as part of the Department of Finance.

“With a spend of at least $1 billion a year on ICT, there needs to be better co-ordination, consolidation and prioritisation of these resources across State Government,” WA Premier Colin Barnett said.

“The delivery of ICT services in Government has not always been as efficient and effective as it might have been.

“Information Communications Technology reform will drive innovation, improve the way we deliver services to the community and deliver better value for the taxpayer,” he said.

Finance Minister Bill Marmion said a $25 million will be spent assisting Agencies with specific ICT reforms.

He said the money would come from targeted reductions in general Government Agencies' ICT expenditure.

The cuts are estimated to save $85 million after the establishment of the $25 million ICT Renewal and Reform Fund.

“The new Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will engage and collaborate with Agencies to deliver tangible benefits to West Australians,” Mr Marmion said.

“Initially, the Chief Information Officer's role will focus on cutting the cost of ICT across government and enhancing transparency in the delivery of major projects.

“The Officer will develop an ICT reform plan over 12 months to support this new strategic direction.”

The Minister said WA’s ICT spending would be judged in comparison to other jurisdictions.