Public sector organisations across Australia were rapidly moving from AI experimentation to operational deployment. While agencies were under pressure to improve services, productivity and decision-making through AI, leaders also had to maintain strong financial stewardship and public accountability. AI introduced new cost drivers and consumption patterns that challenged traditional budgeting, cost attribution and program oversight. Without clear visibility into usage, cost and outcomes, technology leaders risked uncontrolled spending, fragmented initiatives and difficulty demonstrating value to executive leadership, auditors and the public. Strengthening financial governance and investment transparency became essential for ensuring that AI initiatives delivered measurable outcomes while maintaining trust, accountability and responsible use of public resources.
Key discussion points
- Strengthened accountability for AI investment decisions
Established governance and financial management practices that linked AI spending to measurable program outcomes and public value. - Improved visibility into AI and cloud cost drivers
Used FinOps principles and TBM taxonomies to understand how AI workloads, data usage and cloud infrastructure shaped agency expenditure. - Applied disciplined investment planning to reduce AI sprawl
Coordinated AI initiatives through structured funding models and governance mechanisms that prevented fragmented experimentation. - Enhanced forecasting and financial planning for emerging technologies
Built forecasting capabilities that helped agencies anticipate fluctuating AI and cloud costs while maintaining budget control. - Aligned technology investment with agency priorities
Connected digital and AI initiatives to policy objectives, operational performance, and service delivery outcomes through stronger financial stewardship.
Who should attend
This session was ideal for senior public sector leaders who needed clear visibility into technology spend, who oversaw IT investment decisions, or who were accountable for ensuring that AI and digital programs were cost-effective. This included those involved in digital transformation and ICT strategy, AI and emerging technology initiatives, cloud platforms and architecture, technology governance, and IT financial management.
Meet your facilitators
Bilal Yousuf
Director, Business Intelligence & Data Analytics, Queensland Building and Construction Commission
Craig Wishart
Chief Information Officer, KPMG Australia
Matt Pinter
Field CTO APAC, Apptio, an IBM company
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