Digital public service performance stalls in Australia as AI-powered search reshapes citizen journeys.

Government websites are a vital platform for delivering public information and services, with federal and state strategies continuing to prioritise reliability, accessibility and user-friendly digital experiences.

The new Adobe Digital Government Index for Australia (DGI) shows that, despite ongoing efforts to improve service delivery, key performance measures remain stubbornly unchanged over the past three years. This suggests the ongoing development of digital capabilities is unlikely to be keeping pace with citizen expectations just as AI is opening a new digital front door to government services.

Without a consistent focus on enhancing core digital foundations and emerging web capabilities, agencies risk losing their digital share of voice, making it harder for people to find official information and services. The consequences are tangible: citizens spend more time searching, face greater exposure to unreliable sources, and experience a decline in the trust and confidence essential to effective digital government.

Australia ranks #2 globally amid marginal improvement in digital service delivery

The DGI has tracked how agencies rank against core performance and accessibility metrics for four years. In 2025, Australia’s myGov was the highest ranked agency in Asia Pacific, followed by Services Australia. However, across Australia, results have largely plateaued after an initial uplift in 2022-23. It is a concerning trend at a time of shifting citizen behaviour and rapidly advancing technological capability.

The Index assesses agency websites across three equally weighted categories¾Customer Experience, Site Performance and Digital Self-service¾contributing to an overall score out of 100. This year’s national average is 69.4, placing Australia second among the seven global jurisdictions tracked, behind the United Kingdom.

Of the three measured categories, Site Performance recorded the greatest increase this year, rising 4.6%, reflecting faster-loading, more intuitive sites for citizens seeking information. Digital Self-service followed closely, showing gains in how easily people, including those with diverse needs, can independently access and understand public content. Customer Experience, which is based on user testing, dipped marginally and remains essentially unchanged since the research began in 2022.

NSW tops state performance as rankings tighten

Five of the eight states and territories recorded higher Index scores in 2025. NSW retained its leading position, though the gap to second place has narrowed. ACT climbed two spots to be ranked second, with Tasmania close behind. Queensland was the fastest-moving, rising to fourth place.

As other states move to close the gap, NSW’s consistent leadership reflects its long-term commitment to making digital services accessible. Commenting on the DGI results, Jihad Dib, Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, NSW Government said, “Our Digital Strategy rollout has just entered its second year, and I’m proud of the strong progress we’re making which is reflected in NSW’s ranking in Adobe’s Digital Government Index.

“We continue to focus on making our digital services inclusive and easy to use, because improving access means we are enabling everyone in NSW to reach their full potential.”

Some agencies adapt faster than others to citizens’ AI usage

Australian agencies are laying the groundwork for AI, yet progress remains slow. According to Adobe’s State of the Citizen Experience in the Public Sector in an AI-Driven World report, budget limitations, legacy integration, and organisational silos are holding many back.

Beyond these hurdles, a new critical blind spot is emerging: AI readiness. The 2025 DGI introduces AI readiness as a complementary measure to its core Index. Built on nine sub-metrics across three categories, it assesses how prepared agencies are for AI-driven shifts in how both citizens and machines discover and interpret information online.

The results reveal a significant gap in the preparedness of many Australian agencies for an AI-driven world. Scores ranging from 51.1 to 73.1 out of 100, with an average of 61.7, highlight the imbalance across the government spectrum. Leading the pack, the NSW Government scored highest, benefiting from its stronger overall Index performance.

On the surface, agency websites are performing well, establishing trust and authority while making information technically accessible. Yet beneath that, a key challenge arises. AI visibility is low, meaning even the most reliable information isn’t always surfaced in AI-generated responses.

Recognising the stakes, some agencies are taking deliberate steps to address the challenge. This includes Services Australia, which sets out its approach in its Automation and Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025-27:

“We’re working to ensure our public-facing resources and digital presence, like our websites, are optimised for easier AI consumption…Our content governance processes will help ensure customers using AI tools are presented with information about Australian payments and services that is up to date, reliable and relevant.”

Sustained efforts are crucial to ongoing improvement

The DGI report highlights that digital service improvement is never complete. Strong results in one area don’t signal the finish line; even small changes can reveal new challenges. Deliberate, sustained reinvestment in capabilities, technology and people keeps the digital services improvement flywheel turning.

To learn more, please download the Adobe Digital Government Index for Australia 2025.

About Adobe’s Digital Government Index for Australia 2025

Adobe’s Digital Strategy Group undertook the research for the annual DGI throughout 2025. Fifteen Australian government agencies and departments were part of the analysis, forming part of the 115 analysed globally. The three core measures of Customer Experience, Site Performance and Digital Self-Service are each assigned a score out of 100, with the average comprising the overall Index reading. This year, additional deep-dive analysis was undertaken to evaluate capabilities related to AI readiness and personalisation capability.