Brisbane Reveals $353 Million IT Overhaul

Australia’s largest council administration, Brisbane City Council, has revealed an ambitious plan to spend $353 million on a comprehensive new SAP-based business administration platform which will see some 62 legacy systems shut down and replaced with the aid of IT services firm Accenture.

In a statement released this week, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the “major overhaul” would be undertaken over the next decade, and was expected to generate about $450 million in efficiencies over that period – meaning the benefits of the new system would outweigh its cost by “about $100 million” over that period, if everything goes according to plan.

“Council’s current systems are outdated and need to be brought into the 21st century if we want to cement Brisbane’s reputation as an economic powerhouse in the Asia-Pacific Region,” Quirk said. “To do nothing is not an option. As Lord Mayor my job is to deliver Brisbane ratepayers the best value for money and Council needs to change the way it does business to achieve that. This new system will allow us to create one Council that is seamless to deal with for residents and businesses. Less money tied up in red tape means more money spent on frontline services in our suburbs such as tree trimming, road resurfacing and footpath repair.”

The bulk of the money will be spent in the first three years of the systems’ implementation, with the rest being spread over the rest of the decade. $104 million will be allocated to the project in the 2012/2013 financial year, with the total installation cost expected to be about $194 million. There will also be an operating cost of about $111 million over the total ten-year period.
“It is predicted that it will cost ratepayers about $212 million to run Council’s current outdated systems over the next ten years if nothing is changed,” the council’s statement said.

SAP hasn’t exactly had the best run recently within Queensland’s public sector, with the German software giant’s technology also being used in the disastrous Queensland Health payroll systems implementation. A KMPG audit recently found the project has already cost $417 million and will need some $837 million more to fix over the next five years, in a finding which the state’s new LNP Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said in Parliament several weeks ago illustrated that the project was an “abomination”.

However, it was IBM, Queensland Health itself and government shared services provider Corptech which implemented the project, and very little blame for the disaster has been attached to SAP, with much of the problems with the project relating to governance and business processes, not the specific technology being used. In his statement, Quirk attempted to head off criticism of the SAP platform for the BaSE project before it began.

“Quirk acknowledged SAP was the same brand of software used in the recent Qld Health payroll upgrade,” the council’s statement read. “However he pointed to the former State Labor Government’s own independent report, which found the problem with that rollout lay with Qld Health’s implementation, not SAP’s software. Quirk said Council was also undertaking a different implementation strategy that would see Council change the way it does business to suit the new system, not force the software provider to alter its tried-and-tested product to suit the organisation as Labor did with Qld Health.”

Quirk said Brisbane City Council was being “flexible” in its rollout to ensure that it gets the project right the first time before switching on the new platform, to avoid the same problems Queensland Health suffered. “That said we’ve put in place strict contractual arrangements regarding any potential late delivery or cost increases to ensure we get the best service and value for ratepayers, something Labor and Qld Health also failed to do,” the LNP Lord Mayor said.

Opinion/Analysis

In my opinion, this implementation which Brisbane City Council has announced is a recipe for disaster. Any time you try to shut down dozens of legacy systems and migrate the whole shebang onto one huge centralised platform, you’re going to suffer a huge number of roadblocks.

While no doubt Accenture, SAP and the council itself are being very careful here, especially because of the disastrous implementation at Queensland Health, I think anyone who expects this implementation to proceed smoothly has not been following recent IT projects within Australia’s public sector.

It is a universal truth now that Australia’s sub-Federal public sector is broadly incapable of successfully delivering on major IT projects; we’ve seen this trend right around Australia recently, from Queensland to NSW, to Victoria and Western Australia, and I do not expect this rollout to be any different. If this deployment is successful, it will be very much an outlier.

Hawaiian Airlines: New Brisbane-USA Connections Via Honolulu

Hawaiian Airlines will begin flights between Brisbane and Honolulu this November -- and while Australians tend to think of Hawaiian as a holiday airline, the connecting flights via Honolulu to just under a dozen continental US cities will be a useful option fo Queensland's business travellers.

Being able to skip a connection across Sydney Airport and missing out on a further multi-terminal change at Los Angeles LAX? We count that as a win.

So are the direct flights from Honolulu to San Jose (Silicon Valley's local airport) and ten other US cities that would otherwise require a connection.

There's also something to be said for mixing a bit of work and play with a bonus stopover in Hawaii on the way back. After all, you deserve a little downtime!

You'll also earn Virgin Australia Velocity points on Hawaiian's flights.

Of course, there are tradeoffs. (Aren't there always?) Hawaiian's business class seat is an older-style recliner, and the flights only run three times weekly.

The new flight details in full

The thrice-weekly Brisbane-Honolulu flights will take around nine hours, using a Boeing 767-300 plane with 18 business class and 244 economy class seats.

Business class on Hawaiian is an older recliner-style seat, similar to what Qantas uses on its domestic 767 Cityflyer planes. 

In terms of timing, US-bound Flight HA444 will depart Brisbane at 1835 every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, cross the international dateline and arrive in Honolulu at 0805 the same day.

Return HA443 will leave Honolulu at 1020 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, cross the international dateline and land in Brisbane at 1600 the next day.

Hawaiian's thrice-weekly schedule -- and the seats that don't match up to anyone else's business class across the Pacific -- may give some business travellers pause. That's especially true for business travellers more sensitive to schedule or a fully flat bed.

But if you have the flexibility, an aversion to extra connections, a dislike of LAX and an interest in stopping over in Hawaii, it's definitely something I'd consider.

There’s No Place Like Home For Aussies

More Australians are planning a winter holiday at home this year, according to new survey results that show Aussies are choosing Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast over other popular destinations including Thailand, Fiji and NZ.

lastminute.com.au data revealed that local ski regions are receiving a significant share of bookings this winter with Jindabyne receiving 68 percent of domestic bookings followed by Falls Creek and Threbo with 53 percent and 45 percent.

Warmer spots across the country are also being utilised as winter getaways this year, according to the results, that found Palm Cove managed to receive 39 percent of bookings for winter this year followed  by 35 percent to Cairns and 34 percent to Mission Beach.

"Australia really does offer a taste of whatever holiday you're after during the cooler months,” lastminute.com.au spokesperson said.

“If you're a ski bunny, there are plenty of snow regions with great accommodation and nightlife options to choose from. If you're a sunshine seeker, it's the perfect time of year to tick Darwin or Tropical North Queensland off your must-visit list.”

Meanwhile in the international sector, London topped the list for Australian travellers during June, July and August this year, followed by Bali, Auckland and Bangkok.

"Sun-loving Aussies were no doubt pretty disappointed with our last summer,” the spokesperson added.

“These savvy travellers are seeking out a dose of summer by booking destinations with warm climates all year round.”

ICC U19 CRICKET WORLD CUP

The world's best young cricketers will gather in Queensland from 11-26 August to test their skills during the 2012 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup.

Free to attend and held over three locations - Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Townsville - the tournament will see sixteen teams from around the world compete including Australia; Afghanistan; Bangladesh; England; India; Ireland; Namibia;  Nepal; New Zealand; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Scotland; South Africa; Sri Lanka; West Indies; and Zimbabwe.

For a full tournament schedule visit 

www.icc-cricket.yahoo.net
ICC U19 CRICKET WORLD CUP

Green Tape Chokes Our Tourism

A luxury hotel! Right inside a Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

Of course, you might say. Who wants to stand in a hot forest the whole day, looking at trees?

Who wouldn't want to zip back after a couple of hours to grab that cocktail, jump in that pool, lounge on that sun deck or take that massage next to that passing wombat?

But note this. This ad campaign is the first in which Tourism Australia has featured not just our best bits of nature, but the luxury resorts right next to them, including spectacular ones at Kangaroo Island and Tasmania's Great Oyster Bay.

Not only that, the Blue Mountains resort is the one at Wolgan Valley that green groups fought and green tape almost strangled. A hotel in a national park? Sacrilege!

Which makes Tourism Australia's latest ad campaign, launched in Shanghai, not just a celebration of Australia, but one more sign of the decline of the anti-human green movement.

The Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa, which Test captain Michael Clarke booked out last month for his wedding, is the perfect example.

Emirates announced in 2005 it wanted to build this $125 million extravaganza, yet had to work for two more years just to get its plans through all the green tape, including approvals from the then Howard government, the local shire, the NSW Land and Environment Court and the NSW Labor government.

It's a familiar story for any big developer. For years now, it's seemed a sin to green preachers to have man's footprint anywhere near nature.

This absurd fear of human contamination has closed a uranium mine in Kakadu, banned oil exploration around the Barrier Reef, halted coal mines in Queensland, delayed housing developments in even the most barren scrub and now threatens a planned $30 billion gas hub project on James Price Point an empty scrap of the vast Kimberley.

Even a humble $50 million expansion of the Yaringa Boat Harbour on the Mornington Peninsula was held up for a year by green bureaucrats fretting over an orange-bellied parrot no one had actually seen there for a quarter of a century.

This anti-human paranoia has also led to attacks on tourism itself. Tourists are told not to climb Ayers Rock; recreational fishing has been severely restricted; horse riding in many national parks is limited or even banned; and where is the five-star resort on the Barrier Reef itself that tourists would cross the world to see?

It's like banning laughter in church. Victoria's magnificent Wilsons Prom is under such prudish management that you can't stay anywhere inside bar a camping site or some spartan eco-cabin.
The Wolgan Valley resort could have gone the same puritanical way. What an effort and expense Emirates had to go to just to get an official "yes" to a project that Tourism Australia now touts as one of our biggest tourism magnets.

It had to swap 114 hectares of bushland it had bought next to the park for 39ha of the park itself, with green groups screaming every inch of the way. It had to plant thousands of trees, modify its designs and agree to all kinds of restrictions. Even now, just four helicopter trips a week are allowed to ferry in guests.

Now come the Tourism Australia ads to explode the fallacy and extremism that tends to drive such anti-development campaigns.

No, man is not necessarily a pollution on the landscape. No, there's not much point in having great scenery if you make it too tough for people to see or enjoy.

These ads no longer trade on our beauty spots being remote and unsullied by human hands. After all, there's not a single national park that isn't improved by a good road to go see it.
So we see the beauty of the Great Oyster Bay through the windows of the Saffire Freycinet luxury lodge.
We look out over Kangaroo Island's beach from the great windows of the Southern Ocean Lodge. Uluru is seen from well laid dining tables at dusk, and a chopper is parked on top of a waterfall in the El Questro Wilderness Park, because who wants to hike in the heat?

In fact, the sole Victorian entry in the 12 destinations showcased is nothing designed by nature not the Great Ocean Road or the penguins of Phillip Island but Crown casino.

And Sydney closes the ads with our greatest calling card the man-made Sydney Opera House, on the edge of the God-made harbour.

It's the perfect balance.
Green Tape Chokes Our Tourism

Here's Cheers to the First Queensland Beer Week

If the flashing red neon XXXX sign atop Castlemaine Brewery isn’t proof enough that Queenslanders love their beer, the state is now bracing for its own beer bash with the inaugural Queensland Beer Week from July 16- 22.

The collective ‘clink’ of beer bottles will be heard across Queensland as breweries, bottle shops and iconic pubs team up to showcase the very best of beer culture, while beer-lovers also attempt a world record for the most people brewing at one time.

And the timing couldn’t be more perfect with Queensland’s favourite brew, XXXX Gold recently taking the crown for the nation's most popular beer and flattening the bubbles out of long-time title holder, Victoria Bitter.

Raise your glass and celebrate with the 10 best beer experiences in Queensland. 

1. Take a tour with a tipple

Get inside the head, the heart and the history of Queensland’s amber elixir with a tour through the XXXX Ale House in Brisbane’s inner-west. Tours of the 130-year-old icon run daily and visitors can see how the beer is made and taste the final product. www.xxxxbrewerytour.com.au

2. Bavarian beer in the bush

If the clink of a beer stein and the image of an honest Aussie farmer in a good pair of lederhosen appeals, then head west for the world’s most remoteOutback Oktoberfest in Jundah. You won’t go hungry or thirsty with Beer Wenches catering to your every whim, whether it be a big juicy bratwurst or stein of authentic Erdinger beer specially imported from Germany. www.outbackoktoberfest.com.au

3. Get crafty on the coast

You can’t rush a good thing, according to the Gold Coast’s only craft brewery, Burleigh Brewing Company. It takes around a month to perfect a Burleigh brew; the onsite team does absolutely everything by hand, from carefully selecting the malted barley, yeast and hops to bottling the finished product, boxing it up and lovingly placing it in the cold room. Clearly they’re doing something right - their HEF beer was recently judged the Best German Wheat Beer at the World Beer Cup 2012. Wunderbar! www.burleighbrewing.com.au

4. A match made in heaven

It’s an unlikely pairing, but beer and cheese go together like Queen Elizabeth and her corgies. Explore the hinterland town of Mount Tamborine and match the cheese at Witches Chase Cheese with award-winning beer samples from Mount Tamborine Brewery next door. www.mtbeer.com

5. Beers and bull riding

Crack a coldie at the iconic Great Western Hotel in Rockhampton, the home of great steak, beer and rodeos. This 116-year-old pub plays host to major national rodeos and features a huge undercover rodeo arena for 1,000 people that attracts champion riders from near and far.www.greatwesternhotel.com.au

6. BYO (Brew Your Own) beer
Be your own brew master for a day at Brew 4 U in Brisbane - Queensland’s first brew-on-premises microbrewery. Visit the brewery and choose a beer from their list of over 200 different styles. Measure out the ingredients, mix them together and transfer it to the fermenter where your brew will bubble for 2-4 weeks. At the end of the process, take home 50 litres of your very own freshly brewed and bottled beer. www.bru4u.com

7. Archive of ales

Beer-aficionados won’t go thirsty at Archive Beer Boutique in Brisbane’s West End, with more than 400 different bottled beers and 14 draught beers to choose from. Currently on tap is Burleigh HEF, White Rabbit White Ale and Two Birds Sunset Red Ale. But if the reserve selection is more to your taste, for $175 you can try a bottle of Brewdog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin. With 32 per cent alcohol it’s the world’s strongest beer and should be enjoyed like a fine whisky. www.archivebeerboutique.com.au

8. Sky’s the limit

The tropical climate of North Queensland has always been associated with cold, thirst-quenching beer. Enter Blue Sky Brewery. Situated in the heart of Cairns, the brewery produces 10 preservative-free, full-flavoured beers including lagers, ales and ciders. Enjoy guided tours from Monday to Thursday where you can sample their stable of beers including FNQ Lager, FNQ Gold, Cairns Gold and Blue Sky Pilsner. Blue Sky is also serious about being green with 95 per cent of its spent grain and yeast used for cattle feed.  www.blueskybrewery.com.au

9. Something’s a-brewing

One of Australia’s premier boutique breweries, the Townsville Brewing Company has been brewing six regular beers plus various seasonal releases since opening in 2001. Steeped in history, the brewery is housed within the town’s original post office building, flanked by an impressive clock tower. Brewery tours aren’t available but they do offer tutored tastings.  www.townsvillebrewery.com.au

10. No bitter aftertaste

Cleverly named beer bistro Bitter Suite is one of New Farm’s trendy new kids on the block and becoming a fast favourite for weekend afternoon drinks. The friendly owners living out their dream offer patrons hearty fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it’s their grazing menu begging to be washed down with a choice of seven local craft beers on tap, plus 55 (mostly) Australian bottles that’s winning over locals. www.bittersuite.com.au

(Source: travmedia.com)

Brisbane to Host Spanish Exclusive

In yet another Australian coup, Brisbane prepares to host ‘Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado’, an exhibition of more than 100 masterpieces from Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado, to be shown exclusively at the Queensland Art Gallery from July 21 to November 4.

The Museo Nacional del Prado, Spain’s national art museum, holds one of the most significant collections of European painting in the world. ‘Portrait of Spain’ is the first exhibition from the Prado ever to be shown in Australia, and represents the largest group of works the museum has ever lent to a foreign museum.

Curated by Javier Portús Pérez, Head of the Department of Spanish Painting (to 1700), Museo Nacional del Prado, this extensive exhibition will explore the history of painting in Spain over three and a half centuries, highlighting the internal and external factors that influenced the evolution of Spanish painting between 1550 and 1900.

Presented as various chapters of Spain’s history, the exhibition will include magnificent Royal portraits, large scale history paintings, religious pictures, mythological scenes and intimate still lifes.

‘Portrait of Spain’ will bring to Australia work by artists who played central roles in the history of European painting, including Spanish, Italian, Flemish and French artists who worked for the Spanish Royal Court.

The exhibition will explore the political and cultural forces that have influenced the development of modern Spain, and reveal how modern Spanish identity was formulated over 350 years.

Artists represented include EL GRECO, Vecellio di Gregorio TIZIANO (TITIAN), Peter Paul RUBENS, Michel-Ange HOUASSE, Anton Rafael MENGS, Francisco de ZURBARÁN, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y VELÁZQUEZ, Bartolomé Esteban MURILLO, Juan CARREÑO DE MIRANDA, Luis MELÉNDEZ, Francisco de GOYA Y LUCIENTES, Federico de MADRAZO Y KUNTZ, Mariano FORTUNY MARSAL and Joaquín SOROLLA Y BASTIDA.

The exhibition is presented by the Queensland Art Gallery and Art Exhibitions Australia, in partnership with the Museo Nacional Del Prado. 

(Source: Brisbanemarketing.com.au)