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NSW opts for own transaction portal for now

For the time being, the NSW government will be designing its own digital transaction portal on Service NSW, while it discusses joining myGov.
Written by Aimee Chanthadavong, Contributor

The NSW government has decided that it will be designing its own digital transaction portal through Service NSW in the interim while discussions are held with the federal government about joining the myGov portal.

From September 2015, an online account function will be added to Service NSW to enable customers to create a digital profile, link it to one or more government agencies, and enable transactions to occur through that agency.

Launched in July last year, Service NSW has brought together a number of different NSW government services under the one office, including Roads and Maritime; Births, Deaths, and Marriages; and small business support.

NSW Minister for Finance, Services, and Property Dominic Perrottet said the move will address one of the frustrations people feel when they have to provide the same details multiple times to different departments.

"Good service means customers should only ever have to 'tell us once'," he said.

"This is why we are launching a new online account function through Service NSW for customers to manage their details online. This online account will be a cornerstone capability to simplify access to government transactions and act as a platform for additional digital services which will be added over time."

He added customers will be able to control what information they choose to share with Service NSW, and how their information is used when conducting transactions with the government.

Service NSW informed ZDNet that the design and development of the digital account follows research from examining "customer experience, privacy, and security standards of similar government and private sector digital accounts, including myGov".

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday said while myGov has made a "fair bit of progress", it still requires more work, particularly on getting the state and local government on board.

"Imagine if you were operating a business and you could transact with your local government about garbage collection; the state government about payroll tax; and federal government with about Centrelink, the ATO, and Medicare. Imagine you could access all of that online," he said.

A recent Deloitte report revealed if government improved their efficiency level, including the way citizens transacted with them, it would deliver net benefits of AU$20.5 billion.

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