NSW Government announced the appointment today of Paul Edgecumbe as the state's first chief information officer.

Edgecumbe will work closely with CIOs of individual agencies to maximise value for taxpayers and will be the central point of contact between the ICT industry and the public sector.

NSW Commerce Minister John Della Bosca said a clear and detailed IT strategy has never been more important now that the state is investing $1 billion a year in IT infrastructure.

"In creating this new position the government aims to better use its investment in IT to improve public services," he said.

The appointment follows a restructuring of ICT roles and responsibilities within the Department of Commerce to separate the management of major ICT projects from strategic planning.

The Victorian state government created a CIO position last year.

From 2003 Edgecumbe was CIO at the NSW Department of Education and Training and before that was the group IT&T director of News Ltd for six years.