The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with ensuring that government is making the best use of new digital technology to deliver modern services for the community.
Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings today joined key stakeholders at an Australian Information Industry Association event to launch the Labor Government’s Information Technology Strategy 2016-2020.
This strategy kickstarts the process of digitising government services to ensure Victorians can better access everyday services anywhere, anytime – as well as giving frontline workers the tools they need to tackle challenges such as family violence and homelessness.
With hundreds of phone hotlines and 538 different websites, accessing Victorian Government services and information can be difficult, coming at great expense to taxpayers.
Despite this, very few transactional services such as those by VicRoads can be accessed online, with total costs expected to reach $713 million by 2026.
Through this strategy and ongoing work on Service Victoria, new digital services will save the community time and effort in accessing everyday services such as car registration.
A data agency will be established to facilitate information sharing between agencies – and this agency will help address the information management process gaps identified in the Royal Commission into Family Violence.
The opening up of government information and data to businesses, universities, and the community will also help uncover hidden insights, drive innovative policy solutions and improve service delivery.
Everyday apps like Tramtracker are only possible with the release of data. Open data will mean programmers will only be limited by their imagination and not by the government’s failure to release such information.
The new strategy sets out the government’s direction across four areas to better use technology:
- Information and data reform: improving information and data sharing to better deal with complex areas such as family violence
- Digital opportunity: better digital platforms to let Victorians to access everyday services such as those provided by VicRoads and Births, Deaths and Marriages
- New technology: greater use of off-the-shelf IT systems that are shared across government, with new cloud-based platforms to further support productivity
- Better capability: improving public service capacity for projects that are delivered to time, money and specification, with greater partnership with experts
To download the strategy, go to .
Quotes attributable to the Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings
“We’re getting on with making sure that new technology supports the delivery of services the community needs.”
“We don’t need a thousand different websites and hotlines for things like car registration and birth certificates. This is about taking away the pain when dealing with government, as well as lowering the cost.”
“Open data and the better sharing of information will also allow our state’s brightest and most innovative minds to deal with policy challenges affecting our state.”
Quotes attributable to Australian Information Industry Association CEO Rob Fitzpatrick
“AIIA welcomes the release of the Victorian Government’s Information Technology Strategy 2016-2020.”
“It embraces the opportunities to use digital technology to engage with citizens more effectively, use data more powerfully to inform decision making and build the internal systems, capabilities and skills essential to modern, open government.”
“This strategy reflects a holistic approach to modernising government. AIIA stands ready to assist the Victorian Government to execute the strategy over the next four years.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020