Media Release
Office of Access Card Appoints KPMG for Program Monitoring and Assurance
28 July 2006
Minister for Human Services, Hon Joe Hockey MP, today announced the appointment of KPMG as the provider of Program Monitoring and Assurance Services to the Office of Access card.
Minister Hockey said, “The appointment follows a comprehensive tender process. It is a significant appointment and follows the announcement last week of Booz Allen Hamilton as the Lead Advisor for the health and social services access card.
“KPMG’s role will be firstly to implement an assurance framework for monitoring the access card program.
“KPMG will also review the proposed project implementation plan to determine that it is comprehensive, is based on robust risk assessment, and has an effective control framework and performance reporting regime.
“This is an important role, integral to a process designed to deliver the access card in an efficient, timely and cost-effective manner, and to ensure the objectives of the program are fulfilled. The role will also include reviewing the work of the Lead Advisor.”
Minister Hockey said the opportunity to tender for the role drew many well-qualified applicants.
“As a global business, KPMG will be able to draw on its worldwide experience in providing similar services for major IT infrastructure projects.
“As with the Lead Advisor, KPMG will co-locate its project team within the Office of Access Card, to make the most efficient use of resources and close communication across the life of the project,” Minister Hockey said.
The firm previously developed the business case for the access card, which was conducted under a separate tender, in the lead up to Cabinet’s approval of the project.
The contract period is for up to four years, consisting of an initial period of two years plus a two year extension option.
KPMG’s Chairman of Government Advisory Services, Mick Allworth, said KPMG’s team would be led by national partner in charge of Internal Audit, Cath Ingram, who has over 20 years’ experience with the firm.
“KPMG is providing a global team, drawing on our European and Australian resources. The firm has worked on a similar project in Belgium and has extensive experience in working on major government programs.
“We understand the importance of this initiative to both the Government and Australians, and our role in ensuring the project goals are met,“ Mr Allworth said.
The Department of Human Services expects to shortly announce further appointments to the team including the Chief Technology Architect.
Media contact:
Wendy Black - 0437 978 028 – Minister Hockey’s Office
About KPMG
KPMG is the global network of professional services firms of KPMG International. Member firms provide audit, tax and advisory services for their clients and communities.
In Australia, KPMG operates nationally across 14 offices with over 300 partners and 4,000 people.
In Belgium, the Government is currently deploying electronic identity cards to eight million citizens - each citizen will receive a card from their local municipality connected to the Federal government. KPMG has had continuous involvement in the proposed implementation of the card in regard to quality controls and security aspects, and has worked closely with the data privacy commission
About the Office of Access card
The Office of Access Card has been established within the Department of Human Services to deliver the health and social services access card.
The access card is planned to replace 17 other health and social services cards and vouchers such as the Medicare card, health care cards, and Veterans card.
The access card will be introduced from 2008 and phased in through until 2010 and will be required for accessing Australian government health and social services.