A little while ago, I pointed out the paradox of the government scrambling to protect industry in Geelong, but showing a disregard for industry in Canberra.
Well, that paradox is now manifesting. Many agencies are holding back on upgrading systems or cutting back on existing deployments. The recruitment freeze means, among other things, that no individual contracts are being let, and most of those in place will be terminated on 31 December.
For an independent such as I, this could mean lean pickings in the coming months. And I suspect that the same is true for players at the big end of town. Government buyers will be a lot more careful with their money in the current environment of austerity – which is clearly self-imposed (but not self-flagellatory. After all, the government will be whipping the opposition for some time yet.)
Here’s hoping the government gets a warm rush of blood to the head after Christmas. If not, I could stand to lose some weight.