How Australia can unlock $12 billion in productivity savings with improved digital government services
Increasing participation in digital government would bring numerous benefits to Australia’s economy. Recent modelling conducted by Mandala Partners confirmed that where public services were reliable, accessible, efficient and secure, citizen usage was far higher. It also found that if all digital public services had these traits and adoption accelerated, it could reduce government service costs by $12 billion and save citizens 800 million hours over 10 years.
Since 2021, Adobe has been benchmarking Australian Federal and State government departments and agencies on their delivery of efficient and inclusive digital government services. In that time Australia’s score has risen from 58 to 68 (out of 100), largely thanks to a 30% uplift in the digital equity measures. However, this year, Australian government agencies have recorded a moderately lower score due to a decline in performance and inclusion metrics.
Likewise, Mandala’s research found a gap in digital government service delivery: while 90% of Australians prefer to interact with government digitally, only 79% of service interactions in 2023 were performed online.
If Australia is to claim the potential economic and social benefits, it must increase digital adoption by ensuring public services are designed for everyone, tailored to the individual and accessible on citizen’s terms.
Digital government services are becoming harder to find and understand
The Adobe Digital Government Index (DGI) for Australia 2024 evaluated 17 Federal and State government departments and agencies on measures aligned with the Mandala report. This industry-first framework assessed each website on three areas:
- Customer experience via user testing of over a thousand citizen journeys
- Site performance measuring website health and searchability
- Digital equity, scoring citizens’ ability to access, read and understand public content
At a national level, service performance has moderated year-on-year, falling from 68.4 to 67.7. This placed Australia in second position among the six countries in the study, behind the UK.
Scores varied widely across agencies, with myGov achieving the highest Index ranking of any agency globally. myGov achieved this ranking because it acts as a front door to government services for easier citizen access, has strong accessibility credentials and is more likely to offer more personalised journeys. Services Australia achieved the highest customer experience score, with users finding the website reliable and easy to navigate, with clear information that addresses individual needs at every step.
“The key to the high rankings of Services Australia’s two flagship digital products, myGov and the agency website, is their people-centred design,” said the Hon. Bill Shorten MP, Minister for Government Services. “Both are built on complementary life events models, which is a major factor in their positive ratings. These models focus on presenting information in a way that aligns with people's life events, making it easier for them to navigate and get what they need.”
Of the three core areas, only customer experience edged higher in 2024 due to improved interactions via mobile devices. Site performance was lower, including a substantial fall in site health and authority, indicating digital services are harder to find. These metrics also influence AI-generated search results and summaries, raising the prospect of misinformation if healthier but malicious sites outrank government.
This year, digital equity was dragged lower by fewer available language translation services and a drop in the readability of government websites. These impede ease of access for many people who don’t speak English at home or have lower literacy levels.
NSW takes top state ranking, but WA and TAS closing in
An analysis of the states and territories showed that the New South Wales government continues to lead despite its score remaining steady at 72.5 out of 100. It achieved the highest customer experience and digital equity scores at the state level.
Commenting on the score, the Hon. Jihad Dib, Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, NSW Government said, “The NSW Government is driving our digital agenda through a new Digital Strategy which prioritises inclusion, innovation and digital identity, backed in by stronger frontline public services, to deliver for the people of NSW. We are committed to digital equity, ensuring all residents can access and benefit from digital services. We’re not just building technology; we’re building a fairer, more inclusive and connected society where no one is left behind on their digital journey.”
Western Australia and Tasmania have moved up to second and third place, respectively, improving in all measures. New initiatives such as the WA Blueprint and the Tasmania Our Digital Future Strategy will likely play a further role.
Pathway to experience-driven government
While governments at all levels are focused on digital accessibility, there’s growing recognition that efforts must address a broader range of citizen needs. Combining accessibility capabilities with a more personalised, data-driven approach can drive participation and service usage for a more diverse cross-section of the population.
Adobe’s assessment of agencies’ personalisation capabilities and technology stacks confirms that more mature agencies tend to achieve higher Index scores.
Governments have made commendable progress in delivering accessible digital services, but there’s untapped potential to expand inclusion initiatives across more touchpoints. Bridging this gap through personalisation, enabled by technology, is where agencies can deepen citizen relationships and enhance overall trust and satisfaction.
To learn more, please download the Adobe Digital Government Index for Australia 2024.
About Adobe’s Digital Government Index for Australia 2024
Adobe’s Digital Strategy Group undertook the research for the annual DGI between June and September 2024. Seventeen Australian government agencies and departments were part of the analysis, forming part of the 102 analysed globally. The three core measures of customer experience, site performance and digital equity 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 accessibility, personalisation and technology maturity.
About the Mandala Research
Adobe commissioned Mandala to conduct research to estimate the benefits of accelerating the adoption of digital transactions by shifting government transactions from traditional channels (in-person, mail and phone) to digital channels. Its findings, including the four attributes that drive faster digital adoption and economic benefits were contained in the report Assessing the benefits of accelerated digital delivery of government services completed in March 2024.
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