The New South Wales government will make all of its digital services accessible and inclusive by 2030 as part of a new strategy that also places a focus on building public trust amid the artificial intelligence boom.
The strategy, to be released on Thursday, has also signaled the need to “create a central view of digital funding” through a new investment pipeline as the state attempts to repair the Budget bottom line.
Customer Services and Digital Government minister Jihad Dib said the strategy “sets the direction” for world-class digital services that both strengthen communities and support economic growth amid a productivity slump.
“Digital is a part of our everyday lives, and it is essential we are delivering digital with purpose for the things people need, like increasing access to government services,” Mr Dib said.
The strategy is the first to be released by the Minns government since arriving in office and comes almost five years after former minister Victor Dominello launched the last ‘Beyond Digital’ strategy.
It has been in the works since at least November last year, with some of the biggest technology companies and leading universities consulted by the government as part of its development.
As foreshadowed by Mr Dib last year, accessibility is front and centre in the new five mission plan, which also places a focus on maintain trust in government services amid the AI boom.
Of the 58 commitments, 18 relate to accessibility, including more language options on government websites and a panel of ‘service testers’ to test digital services for accessibility.
An internal review of more than 300 digital products and services across the NSW public sector is already underway to understand where accessibility improvements might be made.
A separate digital inclusion strategy is also in the pipeline, as is digital accessibility roadmap that will assist the government as it works towards having all digital services accessible by 2030.
“The NSW Digital Strategy lays the foundation for a future for digital services that are more secure, inclusive and accessible, and is a commitment to improving people’s daily lives,” Mr Dib said.
“This strategy is about more than just technology— it’s about people and how we build world-class digital services that strengthen our communities while supporting economic growth.”
NSW Digital ID, a project started by the former government and which has continued under Mr Dib, is also front and centre to allow citizens to “securely prove their identity when transacting online”.
But despite an economy-wide push to reduce the oversharing of sensitive personal information in the wake of the Optus and Medibank data breaches in 2022, NSW Digital ID has only a ‘medium’ priority rating.
Having launched its first trial of a verifiable credential in June, the government is now working on a proof of concept that will allow people to use a photo ID card to prove their identity online.
Officials from the Digital NSW arm of the Department of Customer Services (DCS) confirmed during Budget Estimates last month that NSW Digital ID is not expected to rollout before 2025, when legislation will be introduced to Parliament.
AI is another core theme within the strategy, with much of the focus on building trust as tools like NSWEduChat, the Education department’s purpose-built chatbot, gain traction.
The NSW government already has one of the most advance ethics frameworks around AI, having led the way with an AI assurance framework before the arrival of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in early 2022.
That framework has recently been tweaked so that only systems with high levels of residual risk undergo external review – a change that reflects a maturing of AI in software.
According to the strategy, the state government will update the 2020 NSW AI Strategy as a priority and consider whether state-based legislation is up to the task of dealing with the harms presented by the technology.
Other initiatives include a roadmap for AI priorities and a “public register of all high-risk AI use cases in NSW to increase transparency and build trust”. A recommendation for Chief AI Officers to be appointed in each NSW agency has not yet been adopted.
A whole-of-government digital investment pipeline will be developed under the trust-focused mission to “create a central view of digital funding” as the DCS tries to prevent duplication.
DCS will also lead the government efforts to “create a baseline view of key NSW legacy technology” — a process that has been underway since at least May — and identify “high-risk legacy systems”.
With procurement data continuing to be a thorn in the government’s side, the government also plans to adopt a “consistent categorisation of spend in ICT, data and digital… to coordinate digital investment”.
Updates to the NSW Data Strategy (2021), NSW Cloud Policy (2020) and NSW Cyber Security Strategy (2021) are also planned, although no timeline has been provided.
The government plans to update the strategy with a “minor release” every budget cycle and a “major release” every 18 months. Commitments will be “measured and tracked annually” for the first time, with progress to be publish in annual strategy updates.
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