SA to see 'confidential' contract

By Melanie Sjoberg

ADELAIDE — The South Australian parliament may take a step towards public accountability following a decision by the upper house to view details of contracts related to outsourcing.

Last year, in a deal worth $700 million, Electronic Data Services (EDS), a subsidiary of GMH, won the tender for the control and servicing of all state government information technology systems. This gave EDS access to all information contained on the computer systems of most government departments, including, in the education area for example, access to the personal details of most families in SA.

In contrast, virtually no information regarding this contract was made available to the public. "Commercial confidentiality" prevented unions and community groups from obtaining information about either EDS or the nature of the contract. Even the state parliament has been denied these details.

The recent upper house decision, prompted by the inability of a parliamentary committee investigating the contract to obtain full information, requires that the details of this contract now be released. The decision is based on the power of parliament to call anyone before it and to jail anyone who refuses.

Stephen Pinches, assistant secretary of the Public Service Association, told Green Left Weekly that the PSA welcomed the opportunity to examine the contract. "Members have expressed concern that privacy principles may be breached, and the government has always claimed that this was protected in the contract. We should now have the ability to check the facts and evaluate any penalties or precautions", he said.

The attorney general, Martin Griffin, has declared that if the upper house's decision is implemented, "No business would want to come to South Australia". Does he mean that business is willing to invest only in places where its practices are not scrutinised?

From GLW issue 228