2. E-service delivery

From the outset, e-government, or online service delivery, as it was previously known, has been a well-coordinated area of development within Australian governments. Both informal and formal governance arrangements have been well established at the State, Territory and Federal level. Offices of Women and educational bodies have been closely involved in informing and developing relevant policies and designing Internet awareness programmes.

During 2013–15, the language employed by Australian governments could be seen in terms of putting citizens at the centre of service delivery, with the understanding that the delivery of this promise requires putting more services online, opening up government, collaborating on policy design and accepting feedback on performance and then acting upon that feedback in a timely, effective and efficient manner.2 Moreover, the notion of ‘digital by default’ goes beyond making services available in a digital format to focusing on providing the best range of services for citizens, as emphasized by the South Australian ICT strategic plan, ‘SA Connected’.

“The evidence is clear – our customers prefer online services, and increasingly, mobile-ready services. Introducing new services, improving old services, whenever possible, our approach will be ‘digital by default’.

This does not mean that services will only be provided in a digital format; the focus will be on providing the best range of services to our customers, giving them choice. Some services cannot be made digital, and some probably shouldn’t; however, we will consider whether they can and should, from the start.”3

Historically, State and Territory Governments have both played a key role in the provision of services, which form a part of their overall responsibility, including in education and health. They also assist individuals in navigating the different tiers of government and their varying departmental structures. This makes the various State and Territory Governments most often the initial point of online contact for those seeking to understand and access government services. Federal, state and territory governments have effectively worked in tandem as well as in the transition to e-government. The Federal or Commonwealth Government and State and Territory Governments have all enacted similar legislative instruments to best advance e-government initiatives and programmes. All have policies and legislation relevant to the present analysis and for the most part these have supplemented and supported each other.

The majority of State and Territory Governments have updated their digital strategies during 2014, and the prevailing language in most of these strategies is ‘digital by design’. Some jurisdictions, including South Australia have gone a step further announcing a Digital by Default Declaration,4 which holds that:

“Digital services will be:

  • Available online, mobile-ready, easy to use and accessible
  • Designed with our customers
  • Offer value for money
  • Implemented so that where appropriate, data can be made openly available in support of the government’s Declaration of Open Data.

The government also recognizes that not all members of the community can access digital services equally and that consideration will always be given to their particular needs.”5

Key issues for law and policy in e-government development, and the extent to which they have been addressed in Australia, are discussed in Box 1.

BOX 1
KEY ISSUES FOR POLICY FORMULATION IN E-GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT

  1. Harmonization with human rights treaty obligations: All e-government policy frameworks and programmes are in harmony with Australia’s international human rights treaty obligations to eliminate discrimination on the basis of age, race, sex, pregnancy, marital status and disability.
  2. Universalizing Internet access: There is a clear policy push for the development of a National Broadband Network to “ensure all Australians have access to very fast broadband as soon as possible, at affordable prices, and at least cost to taxpayers.”6 However, Australia does not guarantee a right to Internet access to its citizens.
  3. Technical openness: In Australia there is no mandate to deliver e-services on open technology. There is however, a growing trend towards content openness, which manifests as the use of creative commons licensing on governmental websites.
  4. Open government data: Australia joined the Open Government Partnership in 2011.7 Following this, a central public dataset repository for making public sector information available and reusable by citizens – data.gov.au – was set up. There are Open Data policy frameworks at federal and state levels. State governments have independently taken decisions to release governmental data sets into the public domain, in the public interest.8 However, open data policy frameworks still function from what could be described as a ‘best endeavours’ perspective for cost reasons, and do not fully overlap with the right to information or freedom of information frameworks.
  5. Citizen charters: There are a range of different charters guaranteeing responsiveness and accountability of government services, including redress mechanisms. However, these are currently managed at a departmental level only.
  6. Data security and privacy: Australia has a complex and thorough body of legislation to ensure data security and privacy. One unresolved issue in this policy debate is the storage of metadata of citizens.
  7. Service level agreements and data protection agreements: State, Territory and Federal Governments Crown Law officers draft all government contracts and all contracts for e-service delivery, which contain provisions for Service Level Agreements and data protection.

2.1 SINGLE ENTRY PORTALS

The development of single entry portals has been a key strategy for the Australian government, in the transition to ‘digital by default’. This is because such portals enable data on government programmes and services to be presented through multiple filters, and make different forms of inter-linkages possible.

The critical role that this strategy plays in the Australian context is evident from the United Nations E-government Survey 2014 which highlights, “The Australian e-government portal offers an extensive A to Z list of e-services and forms, both at the federal and local level, as well as connections to national, local and regional government websites. The portal also offers a section for starting a career or looking for a job online; as well as information on starting a business in Australia.”9

At the state level too, governments have created single entry portals. For example, the South Australian government website provides information about services offered on its portal (http:// www.sa.gov.au). This follows the lead set by the UK DirectGov service. A central organization oversees the content, writing, publishing, quality control and information architecture to ensure that services are logically presented rather than by department only. Strong governance arrangements are in place to manage the accuracy and currency of the materials and information. The portal also provides a directory of services which details information on service eligibility, the documentation required and where available, details of internal government processes. It also has a feedback mechanism to ensure the continued improvement of the site. The feedback received from citizens is collated and provided to the concerned agencies on all matters including policy issues. Other State and Territory based services similar to that of the portal exist, and some are in the pipeline, as outlined by relevant government digital strategies.

It is important to note that these online services are not isolated from intermediary channels; that is, all are supported in some form or another by both face-to-face interaction and phone-based enquiry services. Further, in Australia there exists a large network of advocacy, NGO and charitable organizations that provide intermediary support to different community groups and/ or individuals, including new migrants and refugees, in accessing all government services. Support for these intermediary organizations is also seen as part of the role of government in so far as resources allow.

2.2 CITIZEN AUTHENTICATION MECHANISMS IN E-SERVICE DELIVERY

Significant barriers to the provision of some services online are security and privacy concerns and specifically the requirement to identify the user. Australia does not have a national citizen identification system or national ID card and the privacy of all Australian citizens is taken seriously. Establishing the requisite level of confidence in a person’s identity is a critical starting point for the delivery of a range of government services and benefits. For example, the myGov service delivery portal set up by the Australian government, tackles the issue of online citizen identity through a transparent ‘federated technology’ approach. This portal is a national initiative of the Department of Human Services, and it allows people to access government services from the national health system (Medicare), welfare payments (Centrelink), child support, the Department of Health, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the National Disability Insurance Agency using one user name and password online and via mobile device applications. Users of the myGov resources are made aware from the outset that they are in charge of their information and nothing is shared between different departments by dint of use of the myGov service.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) joined myGov in March 2014 through its e-tax product, new web and mobile services. myGov recently added a digital mailbox service to provide a secure electronic mail delivery channel for official correspondence. This service links with the Australia Post Digital Mailbox facility and also has potential to link with commercial providers.

On 23rd January 2015, the establishment of a new Federal Government Office, the Digital Transformations Office, was announced to expand the use of the myGov account site across Federal, State, Territory and Local governments. The then Australian Federal Minister for Communications and incumbent Prime Minister of Australia (a champion of digital/e-government) Malcolm Turnbull highlighted his aspirations for the Digital Transformations Office to be made available at every level of government so that “people could have a single, secure, digital identity that enables transactions from the local council, the state government, so everything from childcare allowances, to your rates, stamp duty, traffic fines”.10

 

  1. NSW Government (2014), DIGITAL + NSW Government ICT Strategy Update 2014 15, http://.www.finance.nsw. gov.au/resources/digital-2014-ict-strategy-update, Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  2. South Australia Connected: Ready for the Future, http://digital.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/content_files/ strategy/SA-Connected-Strategic-Directions-Update-Apr2016.pdf
  3. The Premier of South Australia, (2014), Digital by Default Declaration, http://dpc.sa.gov.au/digital-default, Retrieved 11 November 2015
  4. The Premier of South Australia, (2014), Digital by Default Declaration, http://dpc.sa.gov.au/digital-default, Retrieved 11 November 2015
  5. Letter from the Minister for Communications to the Executive Chairman NBN Co Limited, dated 8 April 2014.
  6. The OGP was launched in 2011 to provide an international platform for countries committed to making their governments more open, accountable and responsive to citizens.
  7. For example, recently, the New South Wales Office for Women, took the simple but vital step to make public, extensive data on the socio-economic status of women in NSW
  8. United Nations E-Government Survey (2014), E-government for the future we want, http://unpan3.un.org/ egovkb/Portals/egovkb/Documents/un/2014-Survey/E-Gov_Complete_Survey-2014.pdf, Retrieved February 2015.
  9. Minister of Communication, (2015), Press Release.