Government Digitisation

2019-20 Australian Federal Budget – AIIA Response

The AIIA has released a series of analyses in response to the 2019-20 Federal Budget, and has been tracking the Opposition’s announcements.

• AIIA 2019-20 Federal Budget Analysis – Privacy and (Cyber) Security
• AIIA 2019-20 Federal Budget Analysis – Privacy and (Cyber) Security

AIIA Government Digitisation Policy Position Statement

Update – 29 March 2019.

Download the PDF version

To be among the top digital government nations, the Government must leverage industry expertise in technological innovation and use a people first approach to prioritise and accelerate the digitisation of services.

Why does this matter?

Digital technologies permeate every aspect of Australian society. There are more internet connections than there are Australians; nine in ten adults connect to the internet and consume more than 3.6m terabytes of data yearly.

Increasing demand for more digital services means government now processes more than 800 million transactions per year for its customers. Despite the increasing number of digital services on offer, not all services are taken up. Co-design and developing Public trust in government services is critical to take-up. Development and improvement to digital services need to be based on public analytics that measure government digital service performance and a user’s digital service experience.

Considerable disparity in business systems remain at the inter-agency level, between governments and in government interactions with individuals and businesses. This means unnecessary repetition and increasing complexities for customers trying to navigate across three tiers of government.

The increasing digitisation of government also presents new data opportunities. The economy-wide value of government data is estimated to be between $500 million and $25 billion per year. Opening government data will enable new data-driven products and services, increased operational efficiency in both the public and private sectors, and improve engagement from the public.

Addressing the challenges

A transparent digital agenda enables industry and research institutions to support government through accelerated digitisation. Transparency in Government investments in ICT, data reform, science and innovation, the digital economy, digital literacy, and skills programs in the Australian Public Services is urgently needed.

Australia’s ability to reap the benefits of its digital investments relies upon a centralised, authoritative

coordination of the entire digital agenda. This should span from service delivery to technology development and funding decisions – and include strategic partnering with industry and research institutes. None of this can be achieved without a foresight dialogue that harnesses the wealth of knowledge within the Australian tech sector and capitalises on its technology innovations and capability to deliver a vision beyond the next five years.

Government must also determine the digital and technical knowledge and skills that government and industry need to invest in to take advantage of the significant economic and social benefits, that big data, analytics, IoT and emerging technologies are expected to deliver.

AIIA recommends

• Closer collaboration between the Government, industry and research institutes to accelerate government digitisation through new forms industry engagement outside the procurement/grants framework;
• Wholesale adoption, through capability development in the APS, in design thinking and agile ways of working in the design and delivery of government services, Improvements and efficiencies in digital sourcing;
• Ensuring data collection through government transactions are secure, private, accurate and afford consumer protection in accordance with legislation.
• Continued focus on inclusivity and accessibility of all services and digital communications to ensure that no one is left behind.