WA Government Tech Investment Update

Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Science and Innovation, will open the event, and deliver a special announcement that attendees will be the first in WA to hear.

We welcome back Greg Italiano, GCIO who will provide an update on the WA Government’s Digital Capability Fund. With significant investment in digital transformation through the Fund, the WA Government is driving major reform. This session will highlight key digital transformation initiatives reshaping public sector service delivery, offer industry valuable insights into upcoming partnership opportunities and reveal what’s next on the horizon.

Angela Corbett LLM a/Assistant Under Treasurer Procurement Policy and Strategy, Department of Finance will provide a reflection on the latest Western Australian Government Procurement policy, and an update on the Department of Treasury and Finance’s whole of government purchasing arrangements.

Karina Schaap, Director, Digital Industries, Department of Energy and Economic Diversification will provide an update on the implementation of the WA Government’s Digital Industries Acceleration Strategy which is supporting economic development and diversification by accelerating digital uplift of WA’s businesses and growth of the State’s digital sector and capabilities.

Alberto Degli Esposti, CTO at the Office of Digital Government, will outline how the WA Government is transitioning from standalone digital projects to shared WA’s State Digital Assets that operate as core public infrastructure. The presentation will introduce the State’s common digital platforms and capabilities already in use across government — including the ServiceWA app, WA.gov.au and the WA Identity Gateway — and how they support secure, connected service delivery across agencies. Alberto’s session will examine the benefits of shared digital assets, including reducing duplication and costs, improving consistency of user experience, and embedding security and privacy by design. It will also explore how these capabilities strengthen cross-government collaboration, improve resilience during major events, support the adoption of emerging technologies at scale, and create opportunities for industry vendors to integrate, reuse and scale digital services efficiently across the public sector.

Policing faces a growing volume and complexity of threats. Marc Smith, Assistant Commissioner with the WA Police Force will explore how data and artificial intelligence can help shift policing from responding to incidents to anticipating risk. Using a practical detect, analyse, respond approach, Marc will outline how integrating intelligence, alerts, and frontline insights can enable earlier intervention, faster decision‑making, and more coordinated action—where better use of data drives smarter, more timely operational outcomes.

Shaun Walsh, Executive Director, Digital Health at WA Health will focus his presentation on Scaling Digital Health and AI in WA and how WA Health is approaching digital transformation at a system level, not as a collection of projects, but through a structured roadmap that builds foundational capability and scales toward an intelligent, AI-enabled health system.

Stephen was born in Dublin and migrated to Australia in 1989 with his family.

In 2017, Stephen was elected as the Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council and was appointed as the Minister for Environment and Disability Services.

Following the 2025 election, Stephen was appointed the Minister for Regional Development; Ports; Science and Innovation, Medical Research and Minister for the Kimberley. He was also named Leader of the Legislative Council.

Stephen has also served as the Minister for Electoral Affairs, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Volunteering before being appointed as Minister for Emergency Services; Innovation and the Digital Economy; Science; Medical Research and Minister Assisting the Minister for State and Industry Development, Jobs and Trade in 2021.

Greg Italiano was appointed Government Chief Information Officer in December 2018 and is responsible for leading the Office of Digital Government and its delivery of services across the Western Australian public sector.

The Office of Digital Government works with WA Government agencies to support and accelerate their digital transformation journeys. DGov’s four business units are focussed on building and implementing whole of government digital, data and cyber capabilities and providing strategic support, to help agencies reform the way they deliver services to their customers.

Greg brings 25 years of public sector experience to the position and has previously held senior executive roles in the Western Australian Police Force, the Department of Health, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Treasury.

Greg has a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Politics and Government and is an alumnus of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government Executive Fellows Program.

Angela Corbett is the acting Assistant Under Treasurer, Procurement Policy and Strategy, at the Department of Treasury and Finance. Angela’s usual role is Director Procurement Reform, which she is pleased to say is short form for Director for all the interesting things that come up.

She has extensive procurement and policy experience across the Western Australian public sector, having worked in procurement policy connected roles for 20 years, including a stint at the United Nations. She was instrumental in the development of the Debarment Regime and enjoyed being part of the team that created the Procurement Act 2020. She was a graduate with the Department of Defence, where she had her heart set on a career in international law – but found negotiating Intellectual Property provisions with gamers much more interesting.

Angela is passionate about procurement and working with others to demonstrate the immense value that can be gained when engaging with curious, well informed, procurement professionals.

Angela has a Bachelor of Arts, Literature; and Master of Laws. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and an Alumni of Leadership WA. She also enjoys singing with her fellow Old Girls in the Mercedes College Alumni Choir.

Karina has worked in economic development and public policy for the past 16 years, focussing on the areas of science, innovation, and industry development. She has been Director, Digital Industries in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Development Division of the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification for the past four years, overseeing policy and initiatives to support local industry and WA’s digital economy. This includes implementation of the Digital Industries Acceleration Strategy which aims to support the adoption of digital and data technologies by local businesses and to grow the capability and capacity of the State’s digital ecosystem.

Chief Technology Officer Alberto Degli Esposti is a dynamic leader with more than 20 years’ experience in ICT and Business Strategy fields - in leadership, consulting, and management roles.

His role as Chief Technology Officer, within the Office of Digital Government, Western Australia, leverages this extensive experience to drive digital transformation within the public sector in collaboration with industry.

Alberto is currently leading and supporting high profile and strategic initiatives for the state public sector, including the Whole of Government Platforms, ServiceWA app, WA Identity Getaway, WA.gov.au and digital transformation and service delivery.

Some of his previous engagements included Strategic Consulting and Program Direction for the WA Department of Treasury and Finance, City of Gold Coast, WA Health, Australian Defence Force, and NSW Police.

Additionally, Alberto’s extensive experience has positioned him to take on lead roles in several areas, including Big Data Implementation, Data Science & Analytics, Smart Cities Strategies and Implementation, and Artificial Intelligence implementations.

His experience puts him at the forefront of driving strategic and transformative change.

Marc Smith is an Assistant Commissioner with the Western Australia Police Force, responsible for leading technology strategy and transformation to support frontline policing and community safety.

He brings over two decades of leadership experience across policing, public sector, global industry, and consulting, with a focus on using data, technology, and operational design to solve complex challenges. His work has spanned large‑scale transformation programs, cyber security, data platforms, and real‑time decision support capabilities that enable organisations to respond more effectively to emerging risks.

Marc has a Bachelor of Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration.

Shaun Walsh has been the Executive Director, Digital Health at WA Health for the past two years, leading system-wide digital strategy, governance, and transformation. He oversees the WA Health Digital Strategy, major transformation programs, and a broad portfolio of digital and AI initiatives. Shaun chairs the Cyber Executive Committee and has served as WA Health’s AI Accountable Officer. He also holds national leadership roles as Co-Chair of the National Digital Health Oversight Committee and lead of the National Health AI Sub-Committee.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Parmelia Hilton Hotel, 14 Mill Street, Perth, Australia

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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