Customs fiasco - My Year 12 students could do better!

That a $200 million dollar computer system was rolled out in the Customs department without adequate testing beggars belief, and no amount of ministerial spin can cover up this blatant incompetence, mismanagement and negligence. Year 12 Information Technology students around Australia are examined on this very matter every year. They identify the various methods for implementing a new information system and for ensuring that there is always fallback strategy. They recognise that replacement of a major system needs to be either phased in over time or that the new system must be run in parallel with the old until its reliability has been tested in real-time. The Minister and the system providers responsible for this fiasco should resign and be sent back to school.