Governments, industry and private companies across the globe have been looking into the effect the Year 2000 date change problem will have on utility services, traffic control systems, fire alarm and warning systems, lift and air conditioning control systems, personal computers, mainframes, health monitoring systems, and so forth for a number of years. While the Year 2000 date change problem is raising different issues for corporate business, government, smaller enterprises and the general community, there is a single common thread that affects everyone. Time is running out!
Everyone by now should be well progressed in their planning to ensure that the conduct of their business will continue uninterrupted through the turn of the century and beyond.
Year 2000 Project Office
The Commonwealth Government recognises the potential difficulties that the date change problem will have on its ability to conduct business through the Year 2000 and has taken positive action to address the issue.
Key Commonwealth Government services that have been identified as a high priority for Year 2000 compliance include:
- social welfare;
- employment and payments;
- defence and national security;
- health and security; and
- revenue collection.
The Commonwealth Government established a Year 2000 Project Office within the Office of Government Information Technology (OGIT) to coordinate the Commonwealth’s aim of achieving Year 2000 compliance by July 1999.
A big ask? Definitely, but with the cooperation of Commonwealth departments and agencies the Project Office is confident that business critical systems will be compliant. It is from the Year 2000 Project Office within OGIT that the Commonwealth’s aim to achieve Year 2000 compliance is coordinated.
The role of the Project Office is to support, advise and ensure an increased uniform effort on the part of Commonwealth agencies in addressing the Year 2000 issue. This includes a coordination role with Year 2000 managers in Commonwealth, State and Territory departments and agencies who individually address their respective business critical, financial, human resource and building management systems.
Some of the activities being coordinated by the Project Office include a reporting framework, quarterly forums, agency workshops, a Commonwealth State Liaison Group, as well as working with the Department of Industry Science and Tourism (DIST) Task Force which has a responsibility to develop a Year 2000 National Strategy.
Quarterly forums are held in Canberra and are open to government representatives who are in any way involved with their agency’s Year 2000 project. The forums provide an opportunity for representatives to identify what Year 2000 issues have broad reaching affects and to discuss coordinated strategies.
Agency workshops are held on specific issues such as legal issues, testing strategies, embedded systems and risk management. The Commonwealth State Liaison Group meets bimonthly to discuss, exchange and share information which address the Year 2000 strategies employed by all three levels of Australian government, Federal, State and Local.
Areas of mutual concern are identified and strategies to address the issues are determined to best utilise resources and avoid duplication of effort.
For more details on Year 2000 general information, strategies, activities and contact details for Year 2000 officers in your State or Territory, as well as useful links you can visit the Commonwealth Government website at [www.y2k.gov.au].
Raising Awareness within the Business Community
The Year 2000 Industry Program is an Australian Government initiative established to raise awareness of the Year 2000 date change problem and stimulate action within the business community, in particular by small and medium business enterprises.
The program was established by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism in February 1998. The Year 2000 Industry Program operates in conjunction with a Steering Committee made up of members from government and private enterprise.
For more information about the National Strategy, phone the hotline number 1800 11 2000.
*Copy supplied by the National Office of Local Government.
