Cooperation key to Australia’s digital transformation

A pandemic has required Australian industry and governments to work in concert like never before, with better community outcomes.

While the coronavirus may not be as “novel” as it once was, the remarkable advancements in applied digital innovation during the pandemic are. Several technologies and processes, for example, QR codes, online shopping, at home video conferencing and eLearning, have become part and parcel in the daily lives of so many Australians.

Time travel back to 2019 and anyone invested in digital transformation, whether in the private or public sector, would have suggested that these examples were marginally useful additions to the lives of Australians, and perhaps some years away from becoming mainstream.

We have seen the government’s ability to pool and direct resources, industry’s ability to deliver at scale and quite often at pace, and lastly, we see the community’s ability to adapt and adopt, if there is a sufficient reason for them to do so.

When combined, these newly adopted technologies illustrate how governments, industry and the community can work together to innovate, adapt, adopt and ultimately make everyone's lives better by solving common challenges. It has been good to see what can happen when these three forces collaborate to the extent we have experienced.

New South Wales, Victoria and ACT governments vie for being the leading jurisdiction in the country when it comes to digitising everyday interactions between citizens and their government. This is according to the recent history of Telstra’s Digital Inclusion Index, Cisco’s Digital Readiness Index and Intermedium’s digital government report card. The Federal Government is also moving quickly and has set its plan to be one of the top three digital governments in the world by 2025. Meanwhile, industry is getting on with the job of continually improving and refining their digital capabilities for their clients, their staff and other stakeholders.

As we manoeuvre out of this pandemic (albeit there may still be a way to go), the best legacy seems to be the continued collaboration for the greater public good. This working together in harmony is vital when considering the number of other significant challenges Australia is facing (not limited to climate change and growing external geo-political threats as two examples) that require the country’s best and brightest minds to work together.

For more than 20 years, Information Professionals Group has supported growing companies, councils, government, utilities and health and community organisations, to navigate the complexities and sensitivities associated with implementing change in challenging environments. The company’s leadership has always informed its work by asking “How does the customer benefit?”

While we hope it is a long time before the next crisis of pandemic proportions, we know that this spirit of collaboration can undoubtedly go a long way to tackling other complex challenges. It is in this vein that we should collaborate: understand the strengths and constraints of each other and, in concert, devise and implement solutions accordingly – for the betterment of the country and for the life of each citizen.