There’s a saying in public administration that you know a government-commissioned review is really looking at an issue when fewer than half of the recommendations it produces are automatically waved through.

That was the case late Monday when the root-and-branch user audit of Services Australia’s myGov approved just four out of 10 recommendations.

Nothing was rejected, but the usual heroic calls for legislative change got a nod rather than a wave.

The audit’s chair was David Thodey, the former Telstra chief executive, who triggered an internal Australian Public Service denial of the need for a technologist classification in the bureaucracy to restore the capacity lost under whole-of-government outsourcing.

The previous government was far more bereft of enthusiasm for many of Thodey’s other recommendations from another review of the public service’s activities than the five “in principle” and one “noted” in the current myGov major service check.

The myGov user audit needs a little context because it’s actually a pretty important step in getting the bureaucracy to drop its natural self-defence posture and get agencies to try to collectively learn not just from each other but with each other.

A little like why it’s poor school student culture to make the new teacher cry.

Everyone learned from robodebt that some lessons are harder than others. The real question is how does someone from Tax tell someone from Centrelink that what they are doing is just bent and will bring the whole show down?


Speaking on the sidelines of the first interim Independent Advisory Board meeting for myGov held in Sydney, Shorten told The Mandarin that the portal was a “means to an end and it’s going to be complemented by non-digital services”.

That board is chaired by Victor Dominello, the digital wonk whisperer who dared his own department to become a global exemplar for service delivery and best practice and walked away not so quietly impressed.

Shorten said the ultimate aim was to “build trust between people” and “improve the quality of the relationship” between service provider and customer.

The minister acknowledged that trust was now generally in short supply.

There’s a huge subtext here in that former prime minister Scott Morrison deliberately resprayed Services Australia (nee Department of Human Services) to try and look like the success and reform that Service NSW achieved, without walking the walk.

Shorten, to his credit, has parked the branding and is attempting genuine organisational reform without the ideological claptrap.

So while there’s no big ‘announceable’ from the audit (so thorough it’s almost boring) there is a heap of reform and uplift needed to make myGov reusable for years to come.

“The audit identified myGov’s role as critical national infrastructure but also identified the challenges holding myGov back from reaching its full potential,” Shorten said.

“Digital services should be simple, connected and secure. Importantly, they should also be designed around the needs of the people who use them.”

Shorten said the Albanese government was “taking a commonsense and coordinated approach to streamline and improve online government services for all Australians, keep their information safe through the rollout of Digital ID and other myGov security improvements, and change our long-term investment approach.”

As the run of recommendations (and responses) make clear, it’s the slightly more boring but competent elements that deliver for the public.

The fully accepted recommendations by the government:

  • Confirm myGov as the ‘go to’ place for people to access services online from the Australian Government and communicate with all Australians.
  • Ensure myGov leaves no one behind and upholds Australians’ human rights.
  • Accelerate the development of Australia’s national digital identity ecosystem, prioritising the protection of security, privacy, safety, and other human rights with a view to government digital identity being safe, easy to use and secure.
  • Partner with the states and territories on a five-year plan to make it easy for people to find and do what they need to across all levels of government.

The recommendations agreed in principle by the government:

  • Provide ongoing annual funding of myGov at the same level as sustainment funding in 2021-22 and the Enhanced myGov Program and establish a ‘myGov development fund’ to resource onboarding of new services and improvement of existing linked services.

The government says “further analysis will be completed and brought back in the 2024–25 Budget context for ongoing operate and maintenance needs.”

  • Publish during 2023 a rolling five-year roadmap for developing myGov, updated annually.

The government says “functionality through myGov … will be integrated and published for citizens, including, as part of the implementation plan for the Data and Digital Government Strategy.”

  • Introduce by mid-2023 citizen-centred governance and operational arrangements for myGov and myGovID to overcome government siloes and drive inclusion and performance.

The government says the Dominello-led GSAG will do this.

  • Design and build myGov in alignment with a refreshed and enforced Australian Government Architecture, incorporating the Design System and the Service Standard.

That’s been handballed back to the Digital Transformation Agency, which has “launched a refreshed platform to better navigate and apply the Australian Government Architecture to digital investments”.

  • And while not rejected, the call to “legislate myGov as national service delivery infrastructure” was merely noted.

“Government recognises the potential for legislating myGov as national infrastructure. The current legislative environment for myGov impedes service delivery, particularly around data and personal information that may hinder the realisation of the aspirations outlined in the Audit. Government will invest in further discovery work to inform decisions and actions toward this recommendation.”

Or, in simple terms, after the next election.

READ MORE:

Digital reformer picked as new Services Australia chief


myGov user audit

The Minister for Government Services, the Hon Bill Shorten MP, announced an independent user audit of myGov in September 2022. 

A panel of independent experts looked at how well myGov is performing for Australians when it comes to reliability, functionality and delivering a user-friendly experience.

User audit report

In January 2023, the Panel delivered the myGov user Audit report. The report is set out in 2 parts.

Report summary

Volume 1

Volume 1 details the panel’s 10 findings on the current and future state of myGov, and 10 recommendations to government to fulfil myGov’s potential.

Volume 2

Volume 2 of the report contains a detailed analysis across user experience, functions and performance of myGov, the potential future state for myGov to meet the needs and expectations of Australians, and potential actions to get there.

Response to the user audit report

In December 2023, the Government released its response to the myGov User Audit Report.

After careful consideration, the Government has agreed or agreed-in-principle to 9 of the 10 recommendations, agreeing that addressing these systemic issues will unlock the value of government policies and simplify government services.

The Government notes one recommendation but agrees to more discovery work in order to address this recommendation.

This response commits to action and progress towards addressing each recommendation to build trust in government services and make interacting with government simple, connected and secure.