Australian Government tops Digital Government Maturity Indicator

The Australian Government has ranked first in Intermedium’s 2026 Digital Government Maturity Indicator. It recognises the progress made to build a secure, connected, and more user-focused public service. The federal government received a score of 88.3. 

“The result reflects a decade of work to strengthen the foundations of digital government,” underscores Chris Fechner, Chief Executive Officer, DTA. “It also shows the shift now underway across Australia and New Zealand: from agency-by-agency digital services to more coordinated whole-of-government platforms.”

Responsible AI and public trust

The assessment acknowledges Australia’s approach to responsible AI. The Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government requires agencies to conduct AI use case impact assessments and register high-risk use cases centrally. The Digital Government Maturity Indicator also notes that the federal government sets a strong standard by requiring mechanisms to inform users of AI interactions. 

This aligns with the AI Plan for the Australian Public Service 2025’s directive that AI adoption must be deliberate, measured and focused on trust.

“The aim for the government’s adoption of AI is not to integrate the technology for its own sake,” explains Mr Fechner. “Instead, it should be harnessed to reduce friction in services, improve response times and support outcomes that prioritise people.

Investment focused on shared priorities

The Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework is another reason for the federal government’s strong performance.

Agencies must verify that proposals align with whole-of-government priorities, strategies and architectural standards before they are considered by Cabinet. In practice, this helps direct investment towards priority shared services rather than fragmented, agency-by-agency systems.

The 2026–27 Budget also included high levels of funding for digital citizen services. Key investments identified in the assessment include additional resources for myID, the Maritime Single Window digital portal and improvements to myGov.

Strong foundations for better services

These investments seek to reinforce the strength of platforms and policies that many Australians already use. myGov provides access to notifications and linked services, including Centrelink, Medicare and the Australian Taxation Office.

The Digital Experience Policy also requires new or replacement public-facing services to use myGov. This supports a more consistent experience and helps reduce the need for people to navigate separate services across government.

Digital identity is another major strength. The Digital ID Act 2024 empowers agencies to authenticate people through the whole-of-government myID identity solution, supporting secure access to services and cross-jurisdictional use.

Modern systems and stronger safeguards

Modern digital services need modern systems behind them. The government’s cloud-first and reuse settings require agencies to prioritise cloud solutions and reusable digital components, with compliance assessed through the investment oversight process.

Cyber security is another area of strong maturity. Federal agencies are required to meet whole-of-government cyber security standards under the Protective Security Policy Framework and connect to the Australian Signals Directorate’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing platform, enabling continuous, automated, two-way threat intelligence sharing.

Capability across the public service

Digital maturity depends on people as much as platforms. The APS Digital Profession establishes common digital role profiles and skills frameworks, aligning with the Skills Framework for the Information Age to support cross-agency talent sharing. Capability building is also supported by the APS Academy, which provides whole-of-government learning programs to upskill digital professionals.

“The Australia Government has been recognised as a regional leader for its building of digital capability through dedicated training institutions,” highlighted Mr Fechner.

“This reflects a simple but important point: leaders do not deliver digital transformation in a vacuum. Teams do, and they need the right capability, tools and governance to deliver services well.”

Next phase: connected services for Australians

Australia’s result shows that the federal government has strong digital foundations. The next task is to turn those foundations into more connected, trusted and consistent services across government.

That means continuing to improve shared platforms, modernise systems, strengthen data and cyber security, and build the public service capability needed for responsible innovation. It also means keeping people and businesses at the centre of digital government.

The ranking is a strong recognition of Australia’s progress. It is also a reminder that the next phase of digital government is about delivering practical value: simple, secure and connected services that work better for Australians.

Explore the full Digital Government Maturity Indicator at intermedium.com.au.