Release of the Major Digital Projects Report 2026

The DTA has released the third annual Major Digital Projects Report 2026. This Report is designed to ensure Australians can understand what digital projects are being invested in and, importantly, how they are performing.

Throughout 2025, oversight of the Government’s most complex and strategically significant digital projects covered 103 active investments involving $5.9 billion in spending on digital technologies with a total budget commitment of $9.7 billion.

Importantly, every Tier 1 (the most complex and significant projects) and Tier 2 (smaller scale complex and strategically significant projects) project now features a delivery confidence assessment. The increase in reporting delivery confidence since 2024 is not a short-term spike, but a sustained improvement that helps to ensure Australians know how government projects are performing.

“The DTA has been instrumental in providing the Australian Government the tools they need to analyse and raise confidence in delivering digital projects,” stresses Chris Fechner, CEO, DTA.

“The report highlights the Australian Government’s commitment to strengthening the design, delivery and planning of major digital projects, as well as detailing the reforms underway to support their successful delivery.”

“Transparency is one of the conditions which needs to be in place for projects to succeed,” explains Mr Fechner. “This report highlights the progress we are making in transparency and understanding of project performance which, in turn, is helping us focus our efforts where we can have the most impact in supporting project success.”

Delivery confidence continues to improve

The Report indicates that most new projects added to central oversight are smaller investments. These smaller projects generally experience fewer complexities and are more agile, resulting in a more efficient and effective responses to delivery challenges as they emerge.

“Delivering projects in smaller, sequential tranches has been part of the DTA’s regular guidance and advice on right-size delivery,” explains Simon Quarrell, Deputy CEO - Digital Investment Advice and Sourcing Division, DTA. “It reduces the risk of large-scale failures and enables agencies to adjust scope between stages.”

“We’re seeing that most new projects under central assurance oversight are smaller and less complex. This approach de-risks projects and includes more frequent ‘proof points’ ahead of making additional funding commitments.”

Projects reporting Medium-High or High delivery confidence now account for 69.5% of the total budget, up from 52.9% last year reflecting a decline in the number of projects reporting Low or Medium-Low delivery confidence.

“Projects with strong delivery confidence share some common themes,” continues Mr Quarrell. “They have strong leadership, robust governance, ongoing focus on benefits management, and use assurance as a strategic tool to improve the quality of key decisions and stay on track.”

Focussing reforms for further improvement

The DTA has been leading a range of reforms to ensure the right conditions exist across the Australian Government for all digital projects to succeed. These reforms include supporting agencies to maximise the value of assurance and ensuring projects keep benefits to Australians constantly in sight throughout implementation.

Our Digital Governance Program launched in mid-2025 is also ensuring that Senior Responsible Officials (SROs) have the expertise and confidence necessary to lead successful significant digital projects.

To learn more, please read the Major Digital Projects Report.