Queensland spent $183 million on Unify, its new child safety IT system, which was found, when audited, to have significant gaps that put kids at risk. It’s also worth mentioning that the new system had an approval rating of 1.79/10 in a staff survey, with workers still relying on the older ICMS system. By the way, the audit was done by Deloitte, one of the Big 4 consulting firms, which in October 2025 was embroiled in its own scandal for billing the Australian federal government $440,000 for an AI-generated report!
From the nearly $100 million spent on the failed BoM website to the many millions spent on the Unify child safety IT system, I can see why some IT companies seek out government contracts: They get to make big money while delivering subpar solutions, with little oversight or accountability!
It doesn’t matter what you know or how good you are, because as long as you can put the right paperwork for the tender and it says all the right things, you’ll win the contract. Meanwhile, solopreneurs like me, who can actually deliver quality solutions for a fraction of the cost, are left to read about expensive fails like this, knowing what could’ve been.
The reality is that the existing process is flawed and needs to be overhauled so that projects end up with the right people, those who deliver excellent results, those who don’t treat taxpayer money as their personal piggy banks. I don’t want to just complain, but rather, I would cherish the opportunity to work hard and bring about the necessary change. If only I knew the right people.
If you’re in government or in business and want efficient, high-quality IT solutions that respect budgets and timeframes, Mustard Seed IT can deliver. Book a discovery call or reach out to me on LinkedIn so we can figure out the way forward.