A future–ready Victoria

Three clearly defined outcomes underpin the vision:

• better, fairer, more accessible services — making services more personalised and consistent
• a digital ready public sector — improving operations, working collaboratively with partners and developing a workforce skilled for the future, now
• a thriving digital economy — attracting talent, upskilling our communities and businesses, creating jobs and bridging the digital divide.

To realise its vision and deliver these outcomes, the Victorian Government will drive transformation across Victoria through investment in critical digital infrastructure and skills. To guide investment, the Strategy defines six key strategic enablers.

Design principles guide the change we need across government and align our understanding of what a good digital experience looks like. Technology guidelines enable alignment and drive greater value from investment, development and adoption decisions and quality of service outcomes.

Three digital pathways guide and connect the change, anchored by clear and defined digital experiences for Victorians. They define the horizons of digital maturity to realise our vision.

Together all these elements provide a clear and consistent direction across the Victorian Government so that we can align and deliver government priorities together and at pace.

Foreword by the Minister for Government Services

Every Victorian will have their own experience with digital technology.

You might be studying STEM at university or using tech to connect with your family or do your job. You could be paying bills or updating registrations, or maybe to you, digital technology is a big unknown.

We’re taking these collective experiences to ask the question: what does Victoria’s digital future look like?

The Victorian Government’s Digital Strategy 2021-2026 seeks to answer this question. It provides a blueprint for how we will accelerate change and invest in the digital infrastructure and skills we need to serve the people and businesses of Victoria over the next five years.

We want digital to be fully embedded in how we serve the Victorian community so our people can benefit from, and be empowered by, secure, inclusive digital services.

This year, we established Digital Victoria, a new entity in government to oversee our digital transformation agenda and lead this strategy. But digital transformation is a team effort and that’s why this is a whole of government Strategy because we’ll achieve the best outcomes by working together.

Our vision is supported by three key pillars: better, fairer, and more accessible services, a digital-ready public sector, and a thriving digital economy.

And our commitment is to continue to improve how government operates and foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning across the public sector. With the best technology, infrastructure, and skills, we can deliver the best outcomes for Victorians.

We’re building Victoria’s digital future, now and we want you to be a part of it.

Danny Pearson

Minister for Government Services

Foreword by the Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy

The past year has demonstrated the resilience of Victorian businesses and our entire community. It has highlighted our ability to adapt and innovate throughout the pandemic. This past year has shown us that connectivity is not a luxury it is a necessity. You cannot fully participate in our society without being able to get online.

From the local greengrocer moving to click-and-collect, from kids learning at home, to small and medium businesses enabling their workforce to work from home, or our local tech startups that have continued to scale and take their products to the world. Victorian businesses and individuals are capitalising on technology to create new opportunities and drive economic growth.

The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring our State is an innovation powerhouse and a digital leader. By boosting our digital and technology capability, we will touch every business, large and small, connecting Victoria with global markets so they can compete with the world’s best.

The Victorian Government’s Digital Strategy 2021-2026 sets our ambition to propel Victoria forward into the future through investment in digital infrastructure and skills that are critical to deliver on our social and economic agendas.

It also highlights the importance of bringing all Victorians along in this accelerated digital transition.

Through this strategy we are making a strong commitment to building future ready and resilient industries. We are driving connectivity and innovation in regional and rural communities and ensuring seamless digital interactions between government, businesses and the community.

We will support businesses to apply new technologies so that Victoria builds competitive industries that have impact on the local and global stage. And we will make it easier for Victorian businesses to partner with government.

These initiatives will position Victoria as a leading digital economy and ensure we are ready to tackle future challenges and capitalise on new opportunities.

Jaala Pulford

Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy

But digital is about more than just technology. It’s also about using new skills and ways of thinking to create solutions for the digital age.

For government, this means finding ways to understand and meet the needs of individuals, communities and businesses and designing services around people’s lives.

Victoria is embracing the opportunities that digital brings.

This includes transforming the way government itself works, so that we operate in more responsive and modern ways and use new technologies and skills to deliver the services that Victorians expect. Investing in digital infrastructure is more important than ever.

Digital infrastructure refers to the combination of technology and what we need to make it work, innovate and deliver, such as standards, policies and processes. Just as traditional infrastructure like roads, water and electricity is critical for going about our lives, strong digital infrastructure allows us to interact, create and innovate.

Our vision “Thriving Victoria. A digital Victoria. For you.”

The Digital Strategy 2021–26 sets the vision for creating a digital, thriving Victoria. It charts our direction for delivering better, fairer and more accessible services, creating a digital-ready public sector and growing a thriving digital economy.

For us, this means making life and business easy for all, creating a connected, safe and inclusive Victoria and ensuring we are future-ready and centred on individuals, communities and businesses.

Endnotes

1 ACSC Annual Cyber Threat Report July 2019 to June 2020

2 Ready, Set, Upskill - Effective Training for the Jobs of Tomorrow, RMIT, 2021

3 PwC Industry Analysis, 2020

4 ’Australian Digital Inclusion Index 2020’, RMIT, Swinburne, Telstra, 2020

5 PwC Australia’s Citizen Survey 2020, PwC Australia, 2020

Each outcome is defined by five objectives so we remain clear on what we set out to achieve.

Key themes and experiences further guide transformation to ensure everything we do delivers better outcomes for Victorians. These themes will guide transformation.

By clearly connecting the objectives and experiences, they ensure the delivery of the outcomes improves the experience.

Six strategic enablers

Policy and governance

Rethink policies and governance to enable digital transformation.

• We will seek to build and run more consistent, secure and interoperable digital and data assets at lower overall cost.
• We will provide digital governance and assurance to check progress against clear measures of success.

Portfolio and investment

Take a more agile approach to funding digital initiatives.

• We will adapt budgeting and funding to enable more incremental change, reflect the realities of cloud infrastructure and drive value for the taxpayer.

Process, people and partners

Become digital inside and out.

• We will set the expectation of ongoing learning, innovation and partnerships and use human-centred techniques to design and deploy new services.

Data intelligence

Make use of data to generate intelligent insights and improve outcomes.

• Data is most valuable when it is well structured, linked, shared, protected and maintained.
• We will ensure data is used to provide public value. We will create impact for Victorians by using connected data to make policy decisions.

Security and privacy

Ensure the security and privacy of our systems and data.

• We will develop digital assets that are secure by design, protected from misuse, and operated by a skilled workforce that can ensure asset integrity while pursuing innovation and data sharing.

Technology platforms

Modernise technology and become more responsive and resilient.

• We will continue our transition to common, connected platforms that reduce complexity, unlock productivity and enable workforce mobility.

Design principles to support better decision-making

Focus on the customer

Orient around the most important needs of the people we are serving.

• Reshape government around individuals, communities and businesses.
• Do the work so our customers don’t have to understand and navigate government to get what they need.
• Focus on the needs and fairer access to services of all individuals, especially the most vulnerable.

Solve the right problem

Focus our effort on the right challenges through evidence and insights.

• Seek out data from across government, industry and the community, avoid making assumptions.
• Apply human-centred design techniques and build empathy with communities to identify problems that really need solving. Embrace agile mindsets and approaches to change course if required.

Make it simple

Reimagine and transform to reduce complexity.

• Design inclusive and accessible services that are connected across government.
• Reshape and streamline internal tools and processes. Build simplicity of delivery into policy.

Build on the standard

Make choices that create scalable digital solutions – cloud first.

• Take a long-term, holistic view to understand and apply existing standards and common digital solutions.
• When building new digital services, take time to understand shared needs and invest in reusable solutions.
• Invest and build with the end-to-end solution lifecycle in mind.

Progress over perfection

Change how we work by showing value early and often.

• Embrace early testing of ideas and new concepts as a way of focusing design on the needs of Victorians.
• Embed agility in how we make decisions to reduce the time it takes to bring change to the public.

Trusted by design

Secure, safe and well governed.

• Ensure security and privacy are central to decision-making and solution design.
• Make decisions that are transparent and ethical to empower customers while protecting users, systems and data.

Connect and partner

Engage with the broader Victorian community.

• Identify value for the broader community and economy by innovating and delivering with third parties.
• Seek to liberate public data so that others can create new business opportunities and find new value for Victorians.

Innovate with purpose

Drive outcomes that are faster, lower risk and more cost effective.

• Be clear about the value of innovating before investing in new digital technology. Alternatively focus on scaling up existing standards, platforms, patterns and techniques.
• Embed a culture of innovation and actively drive change across government.

Our core set of digital technology guidelines

Digital by default

We will cultivate an ever-expanding suite of intelligent, connected, customer centric services supported by digital infrastructure. Hence removing the need for manual processes, no matter the contact channel they are accessed from.

Strategic investment models

We will adopt a 4-step approach to software selection:

1. If we have it and it is fit for purpose, reuse it.
2. If we do not have it, subscribe to it (Software as a Service).
3. If you cannot subscribe to it buy it off the shelf.
4. If all options are closed, only then consider building it ourselves.

(Reuse before Rent before Buy before Build)

Responsive design

Services will be designed to adjust to the user, the device being used and how they are accessing the service.

Data sharing and open data

We will continue to share information and data to the maximum extent possible to promote transparency and deliver value to Victorians.

Cloud by design

We will adopt a 2-step approach to infrastructure and platform selection:

1. We will design for cloud.
2. Only if cloud is unsuitable will we invest in on-premise infrastructure.

Configuration over customisation

Look to adapt processes to align with software capability not the other way around.

Fostered capability

We will focus on fostering and cultivating human-centred capabilities such as curiosity and critical thinking to focus us on the desired user experience.

Technology and data are assets

We will manage our technology, data and information as valuable assets that inform decision-making and enable evidence-led policy-making and service design.