Defence: Computing and Information Technology Equipment

Senator Chris Evans asked the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 17 November 2004:

1. What was the value of computing and information technology equipment purchased by Defence in each month of the 2003-04 financial year.
2. Is all of this equipment now in use within Defence.
3. Is any of the equipment not in use and instead in storage; if so, how much of the equipment is in storage (that is, how many monitors, personal computers, printers etc).

Senator Hill - The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

1. The following amounts were published in the Commonwealth Gazette under ANZASS Code 452:

   Month	Value ($)
   July 2003	6,811,606
   August 2003	12,336,617
   September 2003	10,175,259
   October 2003	9,513,224
   November 2003	10,169,686
   December 2003	7,350,049
   January 2004	3,912,876
   February 2004	23,486,250
   March 2004	16,049,771
   April 2004	20,479,930
   May 2004	58,202,255
   June 2004	8,055,333

2. No.
3. Defence manages a significant level of rolling stock to sustain its user base of over 80,000 people. I am not prepared to authorise the considerable expense involved in analysing the very large number of transactions required to provide precise numbers which, given the nature of Information and Communication Technology stock management, would be dated as soon as derived. However, it is possible to advise that the central store in Canberra as at 24 November 2004 held 1,400 personal computers, 4,000 monitors and 275 printers.

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