Page 1987 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2011

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Waste—computer equipment
(Question No 1593)

Ms Le Couteur asked the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, upon notice, on 10 March 2011:

(1) In relation to the disposal of computing equipment by InTACT, what criteria does the Government use to determine when equipment should be disposed of and have the criteria been the same for the past five years; if not, can the Minister list the previous criteria.

(2) What criteria does the Government use to determine how equipment should be disposed of and have the criteria been the same for the past five years; if not, can the Minister list previous criteria.

(3) How does the Government ensure that it is getting the maximum value from disposal of surplus equipment and does it consider environmental and social factors as well as maximum financial return.

(4) Is the process referred to in part (3) compliant with National Audit Office guidelines.

(5) What method/s does the Government use to dispose of unwanted computer equipment, for example, recycled, sold and/or donated to charity and (a) how does the Government decide which method to use in a particular instance and (b) does it normally ask for tenders for disposal of equipment; if so, how is a tenderer selected.

(6) Can the Minister list, for 2006-07 to 2009-10, the (a) number of items of computer equipment disposed of by type, for example, monitor, personal computer, server, laptop, and printer, (b) financial return to the Government from the disposal, (c) average age and original price of the equipment, (d) what method was used for the disposal and (e) which companies were used for the disposal.

Mr Stanhope: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) Computing equipment is disposed of when the asset has reached the end of its useful life, and the asset no longer meets technology requirements. These criteria have been the same for the last five years.

(2) Environmental impact and economic return have been used since December 2009 as the relevant criteria. Prior to this, the ACT Government rented the majority of its computing equipment. Under the terms of the rental agreement, all equipment was required to be returned to the owner for disposal at the end of the rental period.

(3) Except for a limited amount of end-of-life equipment, which is donated at no cost to not-for-profit organisations, the ACT Government’s disposal activities are managed by a contracted disposal broker selected through a public tender process. The disposal broker provides ACT Government disposal listings to up to 30 accredited resellers, which ensures the best financial return to the Territory. If the equipment cannot be resold, the broker will dispose of the equipment through an ISO14001 accredited recycling company. This approach results in the reuse or recycling of equipment.

(4) Yes.


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