MINISTER STEEL TOLD OF MYWAY+ FAILURES YET PRESSED GO ANYWAY
Leanne Castley MLA
Leader of the ACT Liberals
Media Release
20 May 2025
A review into the roll out of MyWay that has been uncovered by the Inquiry into the procurement and delivery of MyWay+ reported serious issues before it was due to be launched but was given the go ahead anyway by Minister Steel.
An Independent Assurance Review conducted by Projects Assured in September 2024 found multiple issues with the roll out of my Way, yet Minister Steel pressed the go button anyway, demonstrating a need to prioritise publicity over performance.
ACT Liberal Opposition Leader Leanne Castley said today that the report was given to the Minister two months before launch, identified four areas of serious concern about reliability and functionality, yet he was response was to wait just two weeks and launch anyway.
“We have heard so many stories around the performance of MyWay it’s becoming farcical. Whether it’s personal data leaked, MyWay cards not tapping on or off and incorrect advice about the best transport options, Minister Steel has again overseen a botched major project, after his $75 million HR disaster,” Ms Castley said.
“Some of the comments and findings in the review are quite astounding, and given he gave the go-ahead knowing these issues is quite astounding. He was clearly more worried about public pressure than delivering a high-quality system for Canberrans.”
The Review found:
The products available at go-live will be sub-optimal but functional and have been prioritised to minimise or prevent public facing impact and reputational damage.
The vendor is highly invested in the success of the implementation with TCCS, however the Managed Service Contract duration and the desire to maintain positive working relationships has resulted in an avoidance of robust conversations for issue resolution.
The internal impacts to TCCS business and operational areas as well as associated business processes are significant and extensive. An adequate plan for and status of the transition into service of these changes has not been created. The status of BAU teams’ readiness to execute such a plan is also unknown.
The ‘Just In Time’ nature of the program delivery and the availability of the systems at such close proximity to go-live has resulted in planned activities being highly compressed. Impacts to quality are expected, with additional manual processes required in lieu of full capability.
“Minister Steel is developing quite a track record of mis-managing important project on behalf of taxpayers,” Ms Castley said.
“If he can’t get MyWay right, he couldn’t get the $75 HR system right so Canberrans should have no confidence in the minister delivering a prudent Budget come May either.”
