Federal government tops Digital Government Maturity Indicator

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has announced that the Australian Government has ranked first in Intermedium’s 2026 Digital Government Maturity Indicator, and says this recognises the progress made to build a secure, connected and more user-focused public service. The federal government received a score of 88.3.

“The result reflects a decade of work to strengthen the foundations of digital government,” said Chris Fechner, Chief Executive Officer, DTA. “It also shows the shift now underway across Australia and New Zealand: from agency-by-agency digital services to more coordinated whole-of-government platforms.”

Responsible AI and public trust

The assessment acknowledges Australia’s approach to responsible AI. The Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government requires agencies to conduct AI use case impact assessments and register high-risk use cases centrally. The Digital Government Maturity Indicator also notes that the federal government sets a strong standard by requiring mechanisms to inform users of AI interactions.

This aligns with the AI Plan for the Australian Public Service 2025’s directive that AI adoption must be deliberate, measured and focused on trust.

“The aim for the government’s adoption of AI is not to integrate the technology for its own sake,” Fechner explained. “Instead, it should be harnessed to reduce friction in services, improve response times and support outcomes that prioritise people.”

Investment focused on shared priorities

The DTA said the Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework is another reason for the federal government’s strong performance.

Agencies must verify that proposals align with whole-of-government priorities, strategies and architectural standards before they are considered by Cabinet. In practice, this helps direct investment towards priority shared services rather than fragmented, agency-by-agency systems.

The 2026–27 Budget also included high levels of funding for digital citizen services. Key investments identified in the assessment include additional resources for myID, the Maritime Single Window digital portal and improvements to myGov.

Strong foundations for better services

These investments seek to reinforce the strength of platforms and policies that many Australians already use. myGov provides access to notifications and linked services, including Centrelink, Medicare and the Australian Taxation Office.

The Digital Experience Policy also requires new or replacement public-facing services to use myGov. This supports a more consistent experience and helps reduce the need for people to navigate separate services across government.

Digital identity is another major strength. The Digital ID Act 2024 empowers agencies to authenticate people through the whole-of-government myID identity solution, supporting secure access to services and cross-jurisdictional use.

Modern systems and stronger safeguards

Modern digital services need modern systems behind them. The government’s cloud-first and reuse settings require agencies to prioritise cloud solutions and reusable digital components, with compliance assessed through the investment oversight process.

Cybersecurity is another area of strong maturity. Federal agencies are required to meet whole-of-government cybersecurity standards under the Protective Security Policy Framework and connect to the Australian Signals Directorate’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing platform, enabling continuous, automated, two-way threat intelligence sharing.

Capability across the public service

Digital maturity depends on people as much as platforms. The APS Digital Profession establishes common digital role profiles and skills frameworks, aligning with the Skills Framework for the Information Age to support cross-agency talent sharing. Capability building is also supported by the APS Academy, which provides whole-of-government learning programs to upskill digital professionals.

“The Australian Government has been recognised as a regional leader for its building of digital capability through dedicated training institutions,” Fechner said. “This reflects a simple but important point: leaders do not deliver digital transformation in a vacuum. Teams do, and they need the right capability, tools and governance to deliver services well.”

The full Digital Government Maturity Indicator can be found at intermedium.com.au.

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