NSW to build its own myGov

The NSW government will launch a digital profile service before the end of the year, chasing the same sort of ‘single view’ online transaction capability established by the Commonwealth’s myGov service.

State Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet will announce the new service at the Adobe Digital Marketing Symposium today.

Due to go live in September this year, the digital profiles will allow users to manage their name, address and other personal details across all linked government entities.

In time, the government expects to add further unspecified digital functions to the capability, which will be run out of customer service agency Service NSW.

“One of the frustrations of dealing with government today is being asked for the same details multiple times by different departments,” Perrottet will say today.

“This is why we are launching a new online account function through Service NSW for customers to manage their details online. This online account will be a cornerstone capability to simplify access to government transactions and act as a platform for additional digital services which will be added over time.”

Service NSW already handles a range of transactions on behalf of NSW agencies, like vehicle registration, licence renewals and birth, death and marriage certifications.

Perrottet said the profile would make life easier for NSW residents and help to combat fraud by keeping personal identities up to date and centrally verified.

He said users will be given full control over any information entered into the profile and what agencies it is shared with. He also insisted all data will be stored securely.

Service NSW digital profile

Accounts will be accessible through the Service NSW website and mobile app.

The federal government has recently boasted in excess of 7 million sign-ups to the myGov portal, propelled by its monopoly over registration for online tax returns on behalf of the ATO. It also acts as an identity verification layer for personal health records and Centrelink services, among others.

Earlier this year, federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull publicly invited the states and territories to join the myGov family, offering them free use of the identity framework to integrate their own services into the portal.

He estimated onboarding costs for a single service could be as low as $50,000, based on estimates by Human Services CIO Gary Sterrenberg.

Yesterday Turnbull told journalists “advanced discussions” were underway with interested parties but stopped short of naming any partner organisations.

With Andrew Sadauskas