Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

The funding announced in the 2015-16 budget for the Communications portfolio will continue to support the appropriation of an innovative and competitive communications sector in Australia while making it simpler and easier to access digital public services. Through the 2015-16 appropriation bills, the government will provide the portfolio with over $9.1 billion to deliver its priorities. That includes an equity injection to the NBN Co of up to $7.8 billion, including half a billion dollars from prior year appropriations; $288.6 million for the department to deliver its own outcomes; $1.1 billion through the department to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; $283.3 million through the department to the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation; $94.3 million to the Australian Communications and Media Authority; and $30.9 million to the Digital Transformation Office.

I will just say a little about the Digital Transformation Office because honourable members may not be as aware of it as of some other initiatives. The Digital Transformation Office, or DTO, will be established as an executive agency from 1 July. It will transform the way public services are designed and delivered, making them simpler and easier to use. All new and redesigned services will be digital by default. This means that everyone will be able to access public services digitally, from start to finish, on their mobile device or PC. That is the goal. As part of the 2015-16 budget, the government has announced an investment of $254.7 million in the digital transformation agenda to drive innovation and make it easier for individuals and businesses to access government services. This amount includes $95.4 million over four years for the establishment of the DTO, with the $106.8 million of the remaining $159.3 million in funding over four years to be provided across agencies for streamlining grants administration by adopting standard business processes, a common ICT platform, improved reporting arrangements and a single portal to search and apply for grant opportunities. The Commonwealth currently has a large number of grants administration systems. We do not need that. We can streamline that and make it easier for citizens and easier and more efficient for government.

Another priority is a trusted digital identity framework, for which $33.3 million has been allocated, which will provide individuals and businesses with easier ways to access government services and potentially to access other services. The Tell Us Once program, which is an initiative that has $11.55 million allocated to it, is designed to enable users to update their contact information with government once and to have this information transmitted to relevant linked agencies.

A digital mailbox solution—$7.1 million—is designed to enable individuals and businesses to receive and transact with digital messages and documents from government in a seamless and secure environment. This funding is being fully offset by contributions being made across portfolios with the communications portfolio contributing $7.5 million, $5.2 million from the department itself and $2.3 million from ACMA.

I am sure other matters will be raised in the course of this consideration in detail, but the Digital Transformation Office us a very important initiative. I hope it is not a controversial one. Plainly, all of us here should want citizens to be able to engage with the government as easily as they can engage with their bank, an online commercial site, eBay and so forth. It is a very important priority. The key underlining philosophy about this is to focus remorselessly, totally on the customer. This is not about cutting costs. I believe there will be a lot of savings over time. The focus is on delivering the customer the experience that is valuable to them and to do so in means that are digital and hence contemporary.

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