Search

Education and employment

11 Active projects, $0.4B investment

The education and employment sector is crucial in supporting achievement, progress and prosperity in Australia. The Australian Government is investing $0.4 billion across 11 projects to improve service delivery, support workforce development, and enhance access to education and employment pathways. These projects aim to:

• support vulnerable groups, including First Nations prisoners and parents of young children, through personalised services to improve the transition into employment
• modernise vocational education regulation, ensuring more effective and responsive oversight of the vocational education and training (VET) sector
• enhance higher education systems by improving data quality, security and service delivery
• streamline the administration of education funding
• improve the identification of all primary and secondary school students in Australia, contributing to improved learning and educational outcomes.

Together, these projects are modernising Australia’s education and employment systems, improving access, efficiency and outcomes for students, job seekers and service providers.

Case Study

Government

14 Active projects, $1.3B investment

As the Australian Government delivers high-value digital projects for the public, significant investment in government processes and systems is also necessary to support and maintain this digital innovation. The Australian Government has invested a total of $1.3 billion across 14 projects with the goal of improving government operations through increasing cyber security processes and enhancing ICT infrastructure. These investments not only improve the operation of government services but ultimately improve the services to Australians, communities and businesses. 

The modernisation of legacy systems is a major focus for the Australian Government. This is important across all Commonwealth agencies, as current or ageing systems are unable to support increased demand, maintain compliance and minimise vulnerabilities against cyber security attacks.

The digital projects across the Government sector range from supporting election services and the Census, to modernising existing systems and ICT infrastructure. These projects aim to:

• deliver necessary ICT upgrades to maintain reliability, functionality and scalability of services
• enhance cyber security across government to improve capability to defend and withstand cyber attacks
• ensure the integrity of collected data to support the effective development of policy and distribution of funds and services.

Case study

Healthcare and aged care

16 Active projects, $2.2B investment

The healthcare and aged care sector supports the health and wellbeing of all Australians, including the care of older people. The Australian Government has invested $2.2 billion across 16 projects, which are delivering new and improved health services, completing digital transformation of internal systems, and producing better online portals for Australians to access services. These projects are: 

• enhancing systems to enable better data sharing between aged care and health services, supporting more integrated care for older Australians
• introducing new data capabilities to enable nationally consistent public health data and advanced analytics for timely decision-making
• developing a national ICT platform to streamline clinical trials and research processes, giving Australians improved access to research outcomes
• improving registration pathways for overseas-trained health professionals to streamline access to the health system
• improving the management of chronic wounds and diabetes by providing education and training for healthcare professionals and fully subsidised wound consumable products to eligible older Australians with chronic wounds.

Together, these projects are helping to modernise Australia’s health infrastructure, improve care quality, strengthen public health capabilities, and ensure the system can meet current and future needs. 

Case study

Industry, infrastructure and business

11 Active projects, $0.8B investment

Investment in the industry, infrastructure and business sector supports Australia’s flourishing economy. The Australian Government is investing in domestic productivity through $0.8 billion across 11 projects. These projects are:

• improving transparency of Australian Government procurement activities through a dedicated supplier portal and improved reporting capabilities
• giving Australians increased transparency of large businesses’ payment performance towards their small business suppliers
• delivering necessary ICT upgrades to maintain reliability, functionality and scalability of services
• improving existing business registers critical to supporting the Australian economy
• supporting small and medium enterprises by ensuring continued access to secure, up-to-date tools and information.

Case study

Resources and the environment

13 Active projects, $0.7B investment

The Australian Government is investing $0.7 billion across 13 projects to protect, restore and sustain Australia’s diverse environment, in addition to managing the country’s natural resources. This includes projects in priority areas of climate change and achieving net zero, and ensuring affordable and reliable energy for Australians.

These projects aim to: 

• regulate the energy market, by improving energy models to understand supply and demand, developing an online energy price comparison service for Australian consumers, and improving accessibility of retail energy product data for energy consumers
• improve ICT infrastructure needed to successfully capture greenhouse gas emissions data nationally and particularly in the agriculture/land sector, which is critical to Australia’s climate action plan
• implement the government’s commitment to safeguard and future-proof the Murray-Darling Basin
• restore, protect and manage Australia’s natural assets, by establishing a national Environmental Protection Agency, to improve compliance and enforcement of environmental matters.

Safety of Australians

12 Active projects, $1.8B investment

The Australian Government is strengthening law enforcement and online safety through targeted digital investments across multiple agencies. The government is investing $1.8 billion across 12 projects, which are focusing on:

• supporting identity protection to stop stolen identity credentials from being used to verify identity
• strengthening fraud detection across disability support systems, with new technologies making it easier to prevent misuse and protect vulnerable Australians
• enhancing law enforcement capabilities through national firearms tracking systems, improved access to criminal intelligence, and secure digital platforms for managing court materials
• modernising border security through new applications that support cargo examination and threat detection, including targeted efforts to address illicit tobacco and vaping
• implementing measures to prevent impersonation in SMS (text) communications and protecting Australians from scams.

Case studies

Social services

7 Active projects, $0.6B investment

The Social services sector is important for supporting the economic and social wellbeing of individuals, families and vulnerable members of Australian communities. With an investment of $0.6 billion across 7 projects, the Australian Government aims to streamline systems to ensure services remain efficient and accessible. 

Significant reforms are underway to improve support for people with disability. This includes integrating de-identified data from Australian, state and territory governments to enhance understanding of the lived experiences and outcomes of people with disability across the country. Technology upgrades are also enabling more tailored and accessible employment services for people with disability.

Digital transformation efforts are enhancing the delivery of services to veterans. This includes improving claims administration and migrating legacy systems to secure, modern platforms, to assist veterans and their families access simple and seamless support services that fulfill their needs.

Investment in identity verification and fraud detection also continues, strengthening the security and usability of the platforms that Australians use to access government services. 

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is the national regulator for Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector. 

Launched in February 2024, ASQA’s Digital Transformation Program is modernising its digital and data infrastructure. This includes developing sophisticated, contemporary digital and data systems, enabling ASQA to undertake best-practice regulation and supporting the sector in meeting its regulatory obligations.

By June 2027, the program will: 

• deliver a new Regulatory Management System, replacing the current legacy system
• uplift ASQA’s digital communications platforms and corporate applications
• decommission outdated systems, tools, and environments
• implement a contemporary data management and reporting system, incorporating a Modern Data Warehouse and artificial intelligence-driven capabilities to enhance insights, automation and regulatory support.

Modernising the system used to regulate the VET sector

The main outcome is to ensure modern systems, tools and applications that enable best-practice regulation and deliver tangible benefits to the VET sector, including:

• Modern, user-friendly IT systems – upgrades to ASQA’s digital infrastructure will make systems more reliable and user-friendly, improving service delivery, regulatory outcomes and digital engagement for providers.
• Data analytics and intelligence – technology-enabled process improvements are increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of regulatory decision-making, while minimising regulatory burden. The Modern Data Warehouse will also enable secure data sharing between agencies, supporting collaboration and transparency.
• Security enhancements – strengthened protective security policies and frameworks will safeguard sensitive provider and student data.

ASQA’s Digital Transformation Program will result in more efficient reporting processes, advanced operational visibility, and easier access to information through an improved digital interface for providers and students. For example, a new website will make it easier for students to access the information they need to support their choice of provider. 

This transformation will create a more contemporary, efficient, transparent, and data-driven regulatory environment. It will reduce provider administrative load, foster collaboration for government agencies, and – through a tiered approach to system access – enhance quality, integrity, and trust in the VET sector and confidence in qualifications issued.

The Polling Place Technology (PPT) project aimed to deliver enhanced digital solutions that improve voter compliance, voter experience and operational effectiveness.

Led by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) the project achieved the following objectives:

• improved technology infrastructure, which expanded both voter and polling coverage
• increased voter compliance through real-time identification and prevention of multiple voting
• enabled more accurate issuing of votes for electors voting outside their enrolled electorates
• enhanced voter experience through streamlined polling place services.

Digital solutions improve experience for Australian voters

For the 2025 federal election, the project expanded coverage of Electronic Certified Lists (ECLs). An ECL is the modern alternative to the traditional paper certified list. Polling officials use ECLs to efficiently search the list of eligible voters, print the correct House of Representatives ballot paper on demand, and record that the voter has been issued their correct ballot papers. A total of 12,300 ECLs and 10,300 printers were used at over 5,100 polling places, more than double the number at the 2022 federal election. ECLs reduced the number of incorrectly issued ballot papers to electors voting outside their electorate to less than one in 200, compared with one in 12 in 2022.

The project also developed and trialled a digital Officer in Charge (OIC) return to help the OIC manage their polling place. The OIC return replaced traditional paper forms with bespoke software that increased efficiencies, improved polling place management, and provided real-time information and reporting to the AEC Command Centre. The digital OIC return was trialled at all pre-poll voting centres nationally and at all polling places in Tasmania, totalling 900 laptops. The digital OIC return resulted in a 45-minute improvement in Senate submission times, and polling place staff, on average, finished 36 minutes earlier.

During the delivery and implementation of the program, the AEC learnt from several challenges, particularly as time pressures intensified in the lead-up to the 2025 federal election. Lessons include:

• ensure early capability assessments to avoid procurement delays
• ensure resource planning focuses on implementation and post-implementation business as usual requirements for smooth end-to-end delivery
• embed change management early to help avoid rework, knowledge transfer and delays.

Key successes included risk management strategies including contingency plans and election rehearsals, as well as engagement with stakeholders and close collaboration between the project team and business and operational areas across the AEC.

Nearly half a million Australians live with a chronic wound. These wounds do not heal normally, often taking longer than a month. They can include skin tears, pressure injuries, autoimmune/dermatological conditions, diabetic foot ulceration, or compromised surgical wounds. Chronic wounds are debilitating, often affect quality of life and require long-term care and attention.

The costs of wound care consumables – such as bandages, dressings and adhesives – can be substantial, often reaching up to $4,000 annually per patient. For many patients, these out-of-pocket expenses create serious financial strain, sometimes forcing individuals to delay or forgo necessary treatment.

Patient-centred approach to chronic wound care

In response, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing worked collaboratively with Services Australia to establish the Chronic Wound Consumables Scheme (CWCS). The CWCS supports people with diabetes who have a chronic wound and who are aged 65 years or older, or First Nations participants who are aged 50 years or older with diabetes and a chronic wound. It allows authorised health professionals to enrol eligible patients into the scheme and order fully subsidised wound consumable products to be delivered directly to the patient.

The CWCS portal was launched in June 2025.

Health Professionals who work in a remote area and who do not have internet access will be able to access the scheme via a dedicated CWCS phone line.

The CWCS is estimated to help approximately 20,000 Australians per year to access free wound care products, irrespective of their location.

This project is delivering benefits including:

• lower overall costs to the healthcare system by preventing complications and costs associated with poorly managed chronic wounds
• significantly lower or no out-of-pocket expenses for wound consumables
• national sourcing of products delivered directly to patients, improving management of chronic wounds and reducing the likelihood of people resorting to unsuitable alternatives for cost reasons
• significantly reduced hospital stays resulting from the improved management of chronic wounds.