Victoria’s first government tech chief steps down

Victoria’s inaugural whole-of-government technology leader Luke Halliday has departed after three years.

Halliday joined Digital Victoria in 2022 as its chief technology officer and was tasked with modernising government services and leading IT transformation initiatives.

In 2023, his role transitioned to the newly formed Department of Government Services (DGS), which absorbed many of Digital Victoria’s functions.

iTnews understands that Victoria’s whole-of-government chief information security officer Dovid Clarke will act in the CTO role while a recruitment for Halliday’s replacement is underway.

Following the formation of DGS, Halliday played a key role in establishing the new department’s IT function, integrating teams from Services Victoria and Digital Victoria, and developing the state’s ICT strategy.

Halliday, who is understood to have moved into the private sector, also helped develop Victoria’s whole-of-government ICT strategy.

Writing on LinkedIn, Halliday said: “It’s been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career for what we delivered, and what I learned.

“Government work is often misunderstood. It’s not easy, or intentionally slow. It’s relentlessly complex. And yet, across departments, I saw people show up every day, committed to doing things better.”