Melbourne, Victoria.
The Victorian State Government has launched a five-year digitisation strategy which will prioritise cloud-based platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) programs.
According to the state's strategy document, the Victorian government will now "design for cloud" and only invest in on-premise infrastructure if cloud is "unsuitable".
As part of an effort to "simplify operations and unlock efficiencies", the government plans to replace fragmented legacy systems and remove "complex processes and duplication of effort".
In addition, the government claims it will deploy artificial intelligence (AI) or robotic process automation to streamline manual processes.
The strategy will be underpinned by a focus on customer experience, creating what it calls a "tell me once" approach, which will consist of "seamless connections between channels and departments".
Inclusivity for people lacking digital literacy and access, or coming from a disability, low income and linguistically diverse backgrounds will also play a role in the way new services are created.
The blueprint also claimed that services should "clearly say how data is used within government and ensure personal data is used only for its intended purpose".
Other themes of the strategy include investing and building end-to-end solutions with lifecycle and reusable technology in mind.
In addition, the government seeks to ensure security and privacy are central to decision-making and solution design, with ethical systems in place, the document stated.
“As we move into the future, digital infrastructure is more important than ever in providing Victorian’s access to the skills and services they need to thrive,” Minister for Government Services Danny Pearson said in a statement.
“We’re expanding Victoria’s digital industry and cultivating home grown talent, to deliver better services to the community and position the state with a strong digital economy.”
Last year, Victoria's 2020-21 budget set out $626 million over the next six years for regional digital infrastructure upgrades and technology job reskilling.
Falling under its Digital Future Now initiative, $96.3 million was earmarked to be spent in the last financial year alone.
Digital initiatives recently unveiled by Victoria include a $37.4 million digital program, a Service Victoria app and the RideSpace tool for monitoring public transport traffic.
