The federal government has moved decisively to centralise control of its ICT expenditure, architecture and execution across all agencies and will appoint an Australian government chief information officer (AGCIO) to oversee whole of government ICT coordination, backed by a new specialist office to oversee the development and promotion of its own ICT agenda.

To be known as the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO), the new, purely government office will take over all intra-governmental ICT functions performed by the National Office of the Information Economy (NOIE).

Other NOIE functions will be reabsorbed back into the Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) with the formation of another office to be known as the Office for the Information Economy (OIE).

The new government CIO will also chair the government's Chief Information Officer Committee (CIOC), which provides key technical advice to departmental and agency heads.

"The AGIMO's work will include research on e-government issues such as governance, security, authentication, and investment. It will provide information to assist government agencies when they are considering new contractual arrangements for ICT services," a spokesman for Communications Minister Daryl Williams confirmed in a statement.

With the new government CIO position to be advertised shortly, Acting CEO of NOIE John Grant will step into the role of "acting head of AGIMO" until a permanent appointment is made.

The government's decision to re-centralise its ICT strategy with the re-creation of a government CIO comes after a sustained hiatus, following the departure some years ago of the first and only other federal government CIO, Andy McDonald.