The State Government of Western Australia (WA) launched
the redeveloped whole-of-government website, WA.gov.au, earlier this week.
The WA.gov.au website aims to bring government online
services and information closer to Western Australians by making them easier to
find and access. More than 600 online services, including information and data,
are now available through the single entry point website – WA.gov.au.
The website was developed after consultation with the public
using a test website, and in collaboration with government agencies who deliver
the bulk of services to the community.
A Government
Digital Services Portal Program was a major initiative in Western
Australian’s Digital ICT Strategy, introduced in 2016. Stage 1completed
in July 2017 delivered an initial Alpha (prototype),
called myWA (now re-branded to ServiceWA), designed to engage public and
industry feedback and input into the design.
The simple, modern design aligns with accessibility best
practice requirements and allows for the easy downloading of information in
case of poor internet connectivity, so all Western Australians can search for
services and information easily and at their convenience.
Innovation and ICT
Minister, Dave Kelly, said,”The McGowan Government is
committed to making it easier for Western Australians to engage with government
services when they want and where they want. This new digital service is here
to complement existing telephone and over-the-counter services, not replace
them.”
The final
report of the Service Priority Review in WA, which was released in December,
recommended “Increase online service delivery to provide multiple channels for
delivering transactional services”. The suggested lead for this was the DPC,
who should Undertake a feasibility study for implementation of a
whole-of-government multi-channel transactional service delivery model.
The press release cites single entry point websites from the
United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand, as examples of best practice in other
countries.
There have been similar initiatives in several Australian
states to provide a one-stop shop for state government services. Service NSW was already delivering over
900 services from more than 40 New South Wales Government agencies in 2016. In
Feburary 2016, it launched a ‘tell us once’ digital account.
Access
Canberra brings together ACT Government shopfronts, call handling,
online services and regulatory functions in a single unified service.
South Australia’s Service SA provides access to a range of government
services, including a variety of registration and licensing, either online,
over the phone and in person. Smart Service Queensland also aims to
provide a primary point of contact for citizens to access Queensland Government
services. Victoria is in the process of creating a new whole-of-government
agency – Service Victoria – that will act as a central access point for members
of the community accessing Government services. In November 2017, the state
government introduced
a bill to allow the new agency to be able to process and handle high volume
Government transactions such as car registration, birth certificates, fishing
licences and many others as Service Victoria grows.
At the federal level, the Digital Transformation Agency
(DTA) The DTA is coordinating
work on a number of whole-of-government digital platforms that will help
agencies deliver services to their customers — like identity, change of address
and payments to government. The DTA’s analysis identified that agencies could
potentially save about $100 million per year by implementing four
whole-of-government platforms and it is leading work on testing and delivering
these platforms.
