State of the Data and Digital Nation
Earlier this year, the Australian Digital released a report that looks at all the data and digital initiatives around Australia, covering both federal and state/territory projects. State of the Data and Digital provides an excellent overview of what’s happening around Australia and is a good resource for everyone interested in, or involved in, digital transformation in government (DTIG). Importantly, pages 4-5 (PDF ) show a summary of every initiative within key themes around Australia. This will give you a quick snapshot of what’s going on around the country.
The themes
The report separates the data and digital initiatives into six key themes:
The report then goes through each theme, giving a quick overview of what the theme entails and its importance. Next in each section comes a great visual summary — a table with the left column containing eight small maps (a map of Australia for federal and then a map of each state/territory) with the corresponding policies/projects/services/products listed next to each jurisdiction. This provides another handy overview of what’s happening across Australia.
The report then provides summary information on a selection of case studies for each theme.
Policy and strategy
This theme looks at the plans set up to foster digital transformation and open data. Case study examples include:
The Northern Territory’s Digital Territory Strategy and 2018-19 action plan
Queensland’s Digital Health Strategy
Victoria’s Data Reform Strategy
Australia’s Digital Transformation Strategy
User experience
The user experience section looks at centring the digital user experience around life events and making government services accessible. Case study examples are:
Tasmania’s digital inclusion program
The Digital Transformation Agency’s life event communities
Australian Capital Territory’s Birth of a Child pilot focusing on an end-to-end client pathway
The Northern Territory’s outback connections program to boost mobile phone coverage
Products and services
This theme covers service unification and streamlining processes for Working with Vulnerable People Checks. Case study examples are:
South Australia’s Common Digital Forms platform
Victoria’s new customer service agency, Service Victoria
Victoria’s Single Digital Presence (not surprisingly we like this mention — for more information read our blog (Creating a Single Digital Presence for our citizens)
New South Wales’ digital driver’s licence and fuel check (real-time fuel prices around the state)
Service enablers
The service enablers section looks at digital identity and new platforms for managing web content. Case study examples are:
New South Wales’ focus on transforming internal processes to realise efficiencies
ACT’s vision for end-to-end digital
Australia’s myGovID
Victoria’s Engage Victoria, a whole-of-government digital engagement platform (this project was a finalist in the global GovCX Awards — see DTIG #57 for more information)
Western Australia’s Index of Biodiversity Surveys for Assessments (IBSA) to capture, consolidate and make publicly available data from approximately $32 million of industry surveys each year
Internal capabilities
This theme looks at building skills inside the public sector, the use of cloud computing and cyber security initiatives. Case study examples are:
Western Australia’s GovNext, for ICT procurement reform
New South Wales’ Data Analytics Centre for world-class capabilities in whole-of-government data analytics
The Victorian Centre for Data Insights (VCDI), transforming the way government uses data
Victoria’s whole-of-Victorian-government API program (see DTIG #83 for more information)
Data sharing and linking
Data sharing and linking captures data sharing legislation, building data analytics capabilities, and pursuing the open data movement. Case study examples are:
New South Wales’ Their Futures Matter, a combined vulnerability dataset to support out-of-home-care reform
Australia’s federal data-sharing initiatives, such as legislation and The Data Integration Partnership for Australia
The Victorian Data Sharing Act 2017
WA Data Linkage System for secure data linkage while protecting privacy
About the Australian Digital Council
We blogged about the Australian Digital at the start of this year (see DTIG blog #73 on the Council). The Council was set up in late 2018 and fosters collaboration between the states and federal government. It’s an important initiative that will have great benefits to knowledge sharing across the public sector in Australia.
Salsa Digital’s take
State of the Data and Digital provides an overview of what’s happening around Australia and is a good way for all public sector employees to be aware of what their neighbours are doing and how we can all work together to improve data and digital initiatives in Australia.
