A performance audit into whether the digital delivery of Government services improved customer experiences and reduced costs has found Services Victoria (SV) has fallen short of its ambition.
While accepting that customer experience improved, Victoria’s Auditor-General Andrew Greaves found Services Victoria had not reduced the transaction costs as intended.
In his report, Service Victoria —Digital Delivery of Government Services, Mr Greaves examined the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) and its administrative office SV, finding that despite its shortcomings SV “delivered a repeatable and scalable digital platform and technology solution.”
He said SV had shown benefit to Government from its platform, including through the quick roll out of COVID-19-related transactions such as the use of QR code scans for venue check-ins.
“However,” the Auditor-General said, “SV has not delivered the wide range of transactions envisaged at its outset.”
“With the exception of recent COVID-19 related transactions; the types and low volumes of transactions that SV delivers mean it has not realised its objective of reducing the costs of existing Government transactions and improving compliance with regulation,” he said.
Mr Greaves said SV’s implementation was hampered by a poor business case and inadequate stakeholder and risk management, exacerbated by the lack of a strong mandate.
“This has meant that SV has fallen well short of its ambition to achieve whole-of-Government digital transaction reform in its first five years,” he said.
The Auditor made five recommendations to DPC, four aimed at improving its reporting and guidance on transactional services and one to introduce a stakeholder engagement strategy.
The Auditor-General’s 88-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
