NSW announces new digital roadmap

The NSW Government recently launched the NSW Digital Strategy, which sets out how the state will deliver innovative, inclusive and secure digital services to improve the lives of residents.

The state government says the NSW Digital Strategy is built around five key missions:

1. Accessibility: Making digital services accessible, inclusive and connected for all people in NSW.
2. Productivity: Using digital to advance service delivery, support the local economy and drive productivity.
3. Trust: Building trust through reliable, stable government services and sustainable digital infrastructure.
4. Resilience: Keeping NSW safe and resilient for emergencies online and in-person.
5. Digital skills: Uplifting digital capability in the public sector workforce.

This provides a roadmap for how NSW will harness digital transformation to support economic growth, improve service delivery and create more connected communities.

NSW is home to 32% of Australia’s population and is one of the most diverse states in the world, with the government saying it is committed to making digital services inclusive by supporting all NSW communities on their digital journey.

People responding to a NSW Government survey to understand the challenges faced when engaging with digital technologies and services found 22% feel they lack the necessary skills to perform important online tasks such as job searching, working, studying or accessing government services. The feedback also found those aged over 65, from low-income households or whose highest education level is high school, are less likely to feel confident in performing these tasks.

The strategy leverages leading technology and builds on large-scale projects already underway, including ongoing work to deliver a secure and privacy-preserving NSW digital identity and verifiable credentials system for use across the public and private sectors.

Key initiatives under the strategy include:

• Delivery of the NSW Digital ID and NSW Digital Wallet to enable a safer, more inclusive digital economy by streamlining services and providing a secure way to prove identity.
• The state’s first Digital Inclusion Strategy, informed by community input which shows that key barriers to inclusion include not just location, physical challenges and economic factors, but also confidence in digital skills and trust in digitalisation.
• Better coordination of information and communications technology spending across government to reduce duplication and an enhanced approach to cybersecurity coordination, governance and investment.
• Supporting housing delivery by improving the NSW Planning Portal and developing the Digital Housing Pipeline, an initiative that offers access to information on the delivery of new homes, facilitating improved collaboration among developers, government agencies and homeowners to streamline the process from planning to occupancy.
• Delivering secure and resilient critical communications for emergency services and supporting communities during disasters by building on projects like the Hazards Near Me app which includes fire, storm, tsunami and flood information.
• Updating strategies to leverage data and use artificial intelligence to enhance the response to natural disasters and emergencies through tools like RFS Athena, which predicts fire behaviour.
   

“The NSW Digital Strategy lays the foundation for a future for digital services that are more secure, inclusive and accessible, and is a commitment to improving people’s daily lives,” said Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib. “This strategy is about more than just technology — it’s about people and how we build world-class digital services that strengthen our communities while supporting economic growth.

“Our key missions of accessibility, productivity, trust, resilience and skills will help ensure we deliver with purpose on the things people need, like increasing access to government services.”

The strategy can be found at www.digital.nsw.gov.au/strategy.

Image credit: iStock.com/ClaudineVM