Digital needs of Australians have been reset by pandemic: DTA CEO

As the pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of government services in Australia, it has set a new precedent for customers and their expectations around digital experiences.  

Speaking at the IBM Think event in Sydney, Chris Fechner, CEO at the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) told attendees that the needs of Australians are now “reset” by the digital tools delivered during the pandemic.

Fechner said the future ideas and ambitions of the government around digital transformation now have to match these new customer expectations.

He also noted that government agencies cannot do this transformation alone.

“We need engagements with industry, we need active engagement with academia, we need engagements with the social sector and the civic sectors to make sure we don't do what government can sometimes be inclined to do, which is look at itself and determine how we can deliver things,” he explained.

“But we need to look to our communities, to our businesses, to co-design and co-deliver those services that we know are going to be essential into the 21st century.”

Fechner noted that almost everything the Commonwealth does is underpinned by data and digital.

“So much of that is reliant on having all of those technology resources available, where they're needed, and in the scale that we need them. We are dealing with volumes now that even four or five years ago were unheard of,” he said.

“We are dealing with those problems at scale in locations that are remote and not easily accessible. We're supporting Australians with needs in the most isolated communities in the country.”

Data and digital is the mechanism that we use to fundamentally create the ecosystem that allows us to expand to all these places, Fechner added.

“It gives us the information that we need the systems that we need to deliver upon, to provide the best advice to provide the best care, to provide the best information and to deliver our services in a way that all Australians and businesses need.”