MEDIA RELEASE - MYGOV USER AUDIT

MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday 31 January 2023

MYGOV USER AUDIT

The Opposition welcomes the release of the myGov User Audit.

The report rightly attempts to put on the government’s agenda the ongoing need to drive service modernisation through digital transformation, a continuation of the Morrison Government’s policy direction.

Shadow Minister for Government Services, Paul Fletcher, urged the Albanese Labor Government to learn the lessons of the report.  

“The myGov User Audit puts Mr Shorten on notice that his lethargic approach to digital service delivery is just not cutting it,” Mr Fletcher said.

“With around one million logins everyday, myGov is indispensable and Australians rightly expect that the platform is seamless, simple and safe. 

“Unfortunately, this government has shown little interest in actually improving service delivery.

“As one of its first acts the Albanese Labor government effectively abolished the Digital Transformation Agency which had served as a vehicle to drive digital service delivery under the Coalition.

“There was not a single new digital service initiative in the October Budget, over 1,000 specialist tech jobs have been axed from Services Australia, and there has only been one meeting of the Data and Digital Ministers in over eight months. 

“These decisions do not bode well for how Mr Shorten will progress the recommendations set down in the Audit.

“In sharp contrast to the already bleak record of the Albanese Government, the review is a vindication of the Morrison Government’s digital-first approach to digital service delivery.

“The report makes clear that our investment of over $200 million in the Enhanced myGov program ‘put in place much needed building blocks for a better myGov’.

“In addition, the report lashes the government’s ‘slow progress’ on legislating around digital identity, which it says is making Australians more vulnerable to privacy breaches. 

“Mr Shorten refused to even state his position on the Coalition's Trusted Digital Identity Bill 2021, and as a result this vital policy area has been left hanging in the wind. 

“The Chair of the myGov User Audit, Mr David Thodey AM, and his fellow panel members have done important work here. I hope the Albanese Labor Government will engage with it seriously.” 

ENDS

Further information: Jack Abadee 0403 440 099