Digital Experience Policy

The Digital Experience Policy (DX Policy) is mandated and came into effect from 1 January 2025. It is supported by four standards, which together form the core requirements for delivering consistent and high-quality digital government services.

The DX Policy applies to investments that are subject to the Investment Oversight Framework (IOF)

The previously mandated Digital Service Standard retains its original effective date of 1 July 2024, however since 1 January 2025 it aligns to the DX Policy suite of standards. 

The policy sets agreed benchmarks for high-quality digital service design and supports a whole-of-government approach to improving how people and business interact digitally with government information and services.

It provides standards and guidance to support agencies to deliver consistent, inclusive, and data-informed digital experiences aligned with the Data and Digital Government Strategy.

Digital Experience Policy video

Benefits of a Digital Experience Policy 

Over the past decade, digital government services have expanded rapidly, providing new ways for people and business to access information, complete tasks, and seek assistance. However, a history of siloed delivery and uneven digital maturity has created fragmented service experiences. 

A coordinated focus on digital experience help address these challenges. It ensures that services are designed and delivered in a way that is user-friendly, inclusive, and efficient.

Focusing on digital experience enables:

  • More equitable access to services
  • Reduced duplication of effort and resources
  • Better-informed investment decisions, supported by data and insights

This also strengthens whole-of-government strategic alignment and improves the quality of future investments. 

The Standards

The Policy is underpinned by four supporting standards, each addressing a core element of high-quality digital service delivery:

  • Digital Service Standard: sets the requirements for designing and delivering digital government services.
  • Digital Inclusion Standard: sets the requirements for inclusive and accessible digital government experiences.
  • Digital Access Standard: sets the requirements for agencies to reduce duplication of entry points, supporting unified access to digital government services for people and business.
  • Digital Performance Standard: sets the approach for monitoring digital service performance and using insights to drive ongoing improvement. 

Services covered by the DX Policy

The DX Policy is mandatory and applies to informational and transactional digital services that are: 

The DX Policy covers the digital components of government services, noting that many services include both digital and non-digital channels designed to work together.  

This Policy applies to digital services with multimedia and gamified elements.  

Informational, transactional and staff-facing services have been defined below to assist agencies to determine if this policy applies to their digital services. 

Implementation timeline

For new public-facing services:

  • The Service Standard came into effect on 1 July 2024
  • The Inclusion and Performance Standards came into effect on 1 January 2025
  • The Access Standard came into effect on 1 January 2025 for services suitable for myGov.
  • The Access Standard came into effect on 1 January 2026 for individuals not suitable for myGov, as well as for business and providers.

For new staff-facing services:

  • The Service Standard came into effect on 1 July 2024
  • The Inclusion Standard came into effect on 1 January 2025.

For existing public-facing services:

  • The Service Standard came into effect on 1 July 2025
  • The Inclusion Standard came into effect on 1 January 2026

Agencies are responsible for reviewing each standard and determining which of their services fall within scope.

While the Policy does not apply to state or territory services, agencies outside the mandatory scope are encouraged to adopt the standards to improve user experience. 

An image showing the Digital Experience Policy timeline. A full description of the image is available in the 'Image description' section below.

Policy application and compliance

Existing services

All existing, public facing services are required to comply with: 

•    the Digital Service Standard and 

•    the Digital Inclusion Standard

Any reporting requirements will be for services with more than 50,000 end-to-end transactions and/or page visits per year.

New or replacement services 

New or replacement services which are subject to the IOF must apply the DX Policy and any applicable standards across all states of the IOF. 

Agencies are required to demonstrate compliance through DTA’s current and any future data collection activities that support the IOF, these may include: 

  • Digital Prioritisation Data Collection Process
  • Digital Capability Assessment Process (DCAP)
  • Assurance Framework
  • Approved Programs Collection.
If your digital service is subject to the IOF and you have questions about the existing data collection activities, contact investment@dta.gov.au 

The DTA will regularly review the Policy and its standards, along with associated compliance mechanisms, to ensure that they remain effective and fit for purpose. Further guidance on compliance and alignment to the IOF can be found in the Compliance, reporting and exemption guide.

Definitions

Governance and agency responsibilities

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) is the owner of the Policy and its four supporting standards. This includes oversight of day-to-day operations, updates to the Policy and standards, and the development of supporting guidance to help agencies apply them in practice. 

The DTA is responsible for:

  • Developing and maintain the DX Policy, supporting standards, and guidance material
  • Assessing compliance through touchpoints under the IOF
  • Collecting and analysing compliance data to inform reporting
  • Reviewing and deciding on exemption requests
  • Reporting outcomes and compliance to the Secretaries’ Data and Digital Committee (SDDC) and Digital Leadership Committee (DLC).

Agencies with services in scope of the DX Policy are responsible for:

  • Applying all relevant requirements of the DX Policy and its supporting standards
  • Considering the end-to-end digital experience when designing, developing, implementing, and operating services
  • Ensuring services are user-friendly, inclusive, adaptable, and measurable
  • Designing new services to integrate with existing access points such as myGov, wherever possible
  • Determining whether incorporating a new service into an existing access point or if it is necessary to create a new one and migrate current access points into it.
  • Implementing all five criteria of the Digital Performance Standard for in-scope investments
  • Engaging with the DTA through relevant IOF touchpoints and providing required information to assess compliance
  • Contacting the DTA with questions about applicability, compliance, or to apply for an exemption
     

Exemptions

The DTA acknowledge that some agencies may be unable to meet specific requirements under one or more of the standards mandated by the Policy due to a range of circumstances. In these cases, agencies should contact the DTA to apply for an exemption. The DTA will provide all necessary information, forms and supporting documents for an exemption application.

Exemptions will not apply at a ‘whole of policy’ level. This means your service will not be made exempt from complying with the DX Policy in its entirety. 

Further information can be found in the Compliance, reporting and exemption guide. 

For additional support and resources, please contact standard@dta.gov.au
 

DX Policy guidance material

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