Australia to be top three digital govt by 2025

Australia has the potential to be one of the top three digital governments in the world, but achieving this will require thorough digital transformation across government, according to Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Angus Taylor.

In an address to the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) in Canberra last week, Taylor said Australia is already well on the way to becoming a digital government leader.

Examples of achievements to date include the SmartGate facial recognition system at airports, which processed over 24 million passengers between 2016 and 2017, cutting processing time to as little as 15 seconds.

The ATO’s digital assistant Alex has meanwhile had more than 2.5 million conversations with taxpayers as of May, with 88% of all issues resolved on first contact.

But Australia’s progress in this regard is being dwarfed in comparison to some other countries, such as Estonia where there are only three things that citizens must perform in person at a government office — registering a marriage, a divorce and a property settlement — with every other interaction available online.

“We must look at world best practice and learn from it, be it from our own start-ups, industry, academia, local and state governments or other countries big and small, close and far away,” Taylor said.

“We must do so with a clear vision in mind. That vision is not to simply emulate other countries, but to be a government that is truly world leading in digital transformation for the benefit of Australia.”

The Digital Transformation Agency has developed the alpha draft of the planned Digital Transformation Strategy, which will outline a set of goals and next steps for delivering Australia’s digital future.

The strategy, developed in consultation with more than 500 stakeholders across 30 government agencies, will focus on areas including engagement and service delivery, decision-making, as well as supporting structures and business models, Taylor said.

Image courtesy Commonwealth of Australia.

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