Mission 1
Make digital services accessible, inclusive and connected for everyone in NSW.
Our goals
The NSW Government is committed to making sure everyone can access our digital services. As our lives become increasingly digitised, it’s important that no one gets left behind on their digital journey.
Our goal is to use digital to better understand and meet the diverse needs of our 8 million residents. To deliver this, we’ll prioritise accessibility and inclusivity in our digital services, and improve connectivity across NSW, including in regional and rural communities.
To provide digital services for everyone, we will:
1A: Make digital services inclusive
1B: Improve connectivity across NSW, including in regional and rural communities
1C: Make sure digital services meet accessibility requirements
1D: Design digital services based on the needs of the community
How we'll get there
1A: Make digital services inclusive
NSW is home to 32% of Australia’s population and is one of the most diverse states in the world.1 We are committed to making digital services inclusive by supporting all NSW communities on their digital journey. This includes people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people of all age groups, and those located in regional and rural areas.
Our goal is to make it easier for everyone to access government digital services by uplifting digital literacy skills in the community through programs and initiatives to address the digital divide. The digital divide happens when some people in the community can easily access information and services online while others cannot.
We’re also committed to providing an ongoing and equivalent level of service to those less able to use digital services and will maintain face-to-face and over the phone options for our communities. For example, people can access government services in person through over 117 Service NSW Centres, which serve over 115,000 customers a week,² and over the phone via 13 77 88.
5: Provide more options for people to access government websites using languages other than English
6: Build a NSW Digital ID to enable citizens to securely prove their identity when transacting online
7: Make it easier and safer for citizens of NSW to interact with government and business by building a NSW Digital ID & Wallet
8: Make digital transactions more inclusive through digital verification of NSW Photo ID card
9: Continue alignment with National Strategy and Roadmap of Digital Identity and Verifiable Credentials priorities
10: Establish a Compromised Credential Register to prevent fraud and better support people who have had their data breached
11: Implement legislation to improve safety and recovery services for victims of identity theft
12: Redesign the Planning Portal to enhance user-centricity and accessibility and help streamline the development approval process
17: By 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people having equal levels of digital inclusion
- Building the NSW Digital ID and NSW Digital Wallet to make it easier for people to interact with government and business. We piloted the Digital First Aid Certificate in June 2024, the first verifiable credential to be trialled by an Australian government.
- Creating a more inclusive experience at our Service NSW Centres with initiatives like Quiet Hour. During Quiet Hour, noise and distractions are minimised and lighting is dimmed. This makes it easier for customers who find it challenging to complete transactions in a heightened sensory environment. It is now available in more than 110 Service NSW Centres.
- Providing access to government services through Mobile Service Centres for people who are unable to visit a service centre. Specific initiatives, such as the Kangaroo Bus, continue to expand our mobile service offering by supporting Aboriginal communities in rural and remote areas.
- Providing opportunities for the community to digitally upskill through initiatives like Tech Savvy Seniors. This provides free to low-cost training sessions for seniors to help build their confidence in using digital services.
- Working with councils and industry partners, the Western Parkland City Digital Equity and Inclusion Insights Program will provide insights and information to help uncover the key reasons people can’t participate digitally in Western Parkland City.
1B: Improve connectivity across NSW, including in regional and rural communities
Digital inclusion is when everyone can access, afford and engage with digital services and technology. This requires developing affordable and resilient infrastructure (like the internet) with comprehensive coverage and sufficient bandwidth.
Without access to the internet, communities risk being excluded from critical parts of society including job opportunities, transportation and education.
Our goal is to connect communities across NSW and provide equal access to digital opportunities and services. This includes people and communities who are known to experience lower levels of digital inclusion, like:
- people living in regional, rural and remote areas
- people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people
- people with disability
- gender diverse people.
- Building on community-led digital inclusion initiatives to develop a NSW Digital Inclusion Strategy. This strategy underpins how future digital inclusion initiatives will be identified, delivered and funded.
- Improving connectivity and bandwidth through the NSW Connectivity Strategy. This shows how agencies can work together to address issues around poor connectivity and deliver modern, high-speed digital networks that are available to all.
- Creating tools to help understand connectivity like the NSW Digital Connectivity Index. The index allows agencies to measure the quality of digital connectivity across NSW through 3 key elements: access, affordability and ability.
- Improving regional connectivity through programs such as the Connecting Country Communities Fund (CCCF). This program has delivered communication infrastructure including 145 new mobile phone towers and 44 new or upgraded fixed wireless towers to improve voice and data connectivity in regional NSW.
- Improving connectivity in regional areas through the Regional Digital Connectivity program. This supports families and businesses across regional NSW to have access to better mobile, internet and digital services.
1C: Make sure digital services meet accessibility requirements
It’s important that the NSW Government delivers products and services that everyone can use, regardless of age, ability and circumstances. We have made significant progress in this area and are developing a roadmap to help agencies make sure their digital products meet international accessibility standards.
4: Increase access to government services for people through improved translator and interpreter services
13: Establish a user-friendly pet portal
14: Develop a plan to make NSW Government services accessible by 2030
15: Develop a style guide for Easy Read
- Helping agencies and communities meet accessibility guidelines through the Accessibility and Inclusivity Toolkit. The toolkit makes sure we build and buy digital products and services that are accessible to all.
- Training Service NSW staff to better help people who may require additional support and time or people with hidden disabilities (such as autism, epilepsy, or people who are deaf or hard of hearing) through the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program.
- Supporting agencies to connect with communities through Multicultural NSW Language Service. Multicultural NSW supports a range of languages and improves access to services and programs, especially in regional areas, through well-designed interpreting and translating services.
- Advising on accessibility questions and sharing knowledge through Accessibility Ambassadors. This network includes people from across the NSW Government with lived experience of disability.
- Reviewing over 300 digital products and services across the NSW public sector to assess their compliance with accessibility requirements and recommend improvements.
- Producing an Easy Read style guide in partnership with disability advocacy groups and other organisations. This guide will help NSW Government staff select content to prioritise for translation, based on the needs of their audience, and translate it into Easy Read.
1D: Design digital services based on the needs of the community
We need to design digital services based on the diverse needs of the people of NSW. To achieve this the NSW Government will engage with the community through public consultations, workshops, online surveys and extensive user testing.
We’ll use human-centred design principles to listen, learn and evolve our digital services and adapt to community needs. This will help us to continue to build reliable and trusted services for everyone.
2: Create a test panel of ‘service testers’ from diverse backgrounds, including geographic diversity, and abilities to test digital services for accessibility
3: Establish an all of government forum which includes key advocacy groups to deliver services that are accessible and inclusive
16: Update reporting on customer research to reflect and understand community views on government services
53: Prototype an AI chatbot on the Crown Lands website to allow customers to self-serve and resolve enquiries
- The Have your say platform is a central place where people can learn about government consultations, give feedback on services and policies and help shape decisions on public programs.
- Collaborating with industry and academia on NSW Government strategies and policies through workshops. For example, the NSW State Digital Strategy roundtable brought together representatives from industry, academia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led companies, startups, not-for-profits and industry groups. These workshops make sure a broad range of voices inform government strategy.
- Ensuring that NSW Government services that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) prioritise safe and responsible use. This is defined in the NSW Artificial Intelligence Assessment Framework and applies to all use of AI in the NSW Government.
- Building service design capability using human-centred design, such as in the Digital NSW Design System (DDS). The DDS was created for NSW agencies to have access to and use website design templates that have been extensively tested to deliver accessible customer experiences.
- Improving access to legal services for vulnerable communities by continuing to listen and implement changes based on customer feedback. This includes boosting access to legal advice over the phone and implementing a ‘tell your story once’ system so people can get the legal help they need quickly.
- Enabling Aboriginal communities to self-determine services delivered in their communities through the Local Decision Making initiative.
- Making information accessible to everyone in the community to improve access and services for our community through use of the Multicultural Communications Playbook.
Use digital to improve service delivery, support the local economy and drive productivity
Underpin trust in government through reliable, stable digital services and sustainable Digital Infrastructure
Keep NSW safe and resilient during emergencies online and in-person
Uplift digital capability in the public sector workforce