IBM to lead Australian DIMIA systems overhaul

20.06.2006
IBM Corp. has landed a four year contract worth more than A$250 million (US$185 million) to lead a massive systems overhaul at Australia's Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMIA).

The A$495 million systems revamp dubbed the "Systems for People Program" includes the replacement of aging computers used to manage immigration programs including Australia's controversial detention centers.

An additional A$380 million in new funding was made available in last month's federal budget following a series of damning reports into Australia's immigration processes which found serious shortfalls in information systems that contributed to Australian citizen Cornelia Rau being illegally detained.

Full details of the massive overhaul will be finalized in coming weeks but other members of the IBM led consortium include Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., Tibco and APIS Consulting.

Under the project, legacy systems will be phased out and replaced with a Web-based environment linking data from a range of existing projects including a document verification service and a number of biometrics projects and border control programs.

IBM is proposing use of the Websphere product suite combined with Siebel case management software and a business rules management offering from Ruleburst.