Parliament website overhaul due next month

Doubts remains as project lead departs.
The project board overseeing the Australian Parliament's troubled $3 million website upgrade, has pushed for the site to go live in early January.

But the project lead and Parliamentary Librarian, Roxanne Missingham, has since quit for a new post with the Australian National University (ANU) Library and those close to the project believe the due date is untenable.

The website overhaul is more than a year past its initial due date and has been delayed by several "substantial" changes in scope that required more development time.

The two-year revamp project is being managed by ICT services firm Fujitsu and uses a content management system supplied by Sitecore.

The board, comprising senior staff from three departments, had voted against forging ahead with the website this month.

It appeared some live work had been in progress, however, as a "network-related issue" downed much of the website on Monday.

"It was not appropriate to go live prior to Christmas because of the [office] shutdown and resource availability," outgoing project manager Missingham told iTnews.

"The board will review the decision in early January, she said."

But a source close to the project doubted claims the website would be ready next month.

"They are dreaming,” they said.

“There are still stability issues with the server and substantial content is not up to date. Most of the main players are now on leave until January 9, so a release [that week] is total fiction."

Missingham is due to depart the agency in mid-February, taking up a librarian post at the ANU.

"She made a great contribution to the Parliamentary Library," department secretary, Alan Thompson, said.

"We wish her the best in her new position."