NSW GOVERNMENT

ICT STRATEGY
CASE STUDIES

NSW Government | ICT Strategy 1

 INTRODUCTION
In the digital age, the NSW Government is keen to realise
the opportunities offered by emerging technologies and
innovative thinking.

The NSW Government ICT Strategy, launched in 2012,

outlines a whole of government approach to information
and communications technology (ICT).

The case studies which follow demonstrate the

impact of work underway in the ICT Strategy
priority initiative areas outlined below.

Community
Industry
Government
Infrastructure and Managed Services

Services Anytime Anywhere

Service NSW

ICT Skills and Innovation

Better
Procurement Reform

Information Sharing

Community and Industry Collaboration Services

Open Government

Open Data

Citizen Focused Services

Management
Information

Better Information Sharing Better Value

Investment

Financial and Performance Management

Priority Initiatives Key Service Capabilities Outcomes

The ICT Strategy sets out the plan to achieve better •  igital + Industry – business facing initiatives to make
D
services and better value ICT investment across our it easier to supply to government and focusing on
three key stakeholder groups – the customer, business contemporary ICT sourcing models
and government agencies.
•  igital + Government – internal facing initiatives
D
•  igital + Community – citizen facing initiatives
D transforming our operations through standards and
focused on putting the customer at the centre of common processes, and building digital capability in
service design the public sector to deliver modern services.

NSW Government | ICT Strategy 2

SERVICE NSW
Case Study

Since its launch in July 2013, Service NSW NSW has also trialled LiveChat to help customers carry out their
online business with government. Starting with Seniors Card
has continued to deliver on its mission to transactions, LiveChat gives people access to real time
make it easier for citizens to do business support from a person when they are trying to complete an
with government. online transaction.
This is achieved through growing a multi-channel network – Service NSW has introduced cloud-based technology in its
digital, telephone and physical one-stop shops – to help contact centre channel to improve access to government
customers across NSW carry out transactions quickly and efficiently. services for customers and reduce call wait times. The virtual
contact centre will provide an even more robust network that
Service NSW enables customers to undertake more than 800 can upscale and expand the number of phone lines to support
transactions, from applying for a birth certificate or a Seniors peaks and improve access to government services.
Card, renewing a driver licence or vehicle registration, to paying
Housing NSW rent or a fine. An initiative underway is the MyAccount project to give
customers the option to create a ‘digital profile’. This will provide
The introduction of a Service NSW mobile app provides a secure ‘place’ for customers to store information such as age,
around-the-clock access to government services and was gender and contact details and avoid re-entering during self-
developed using customer feedback. By February 2015 more service transactions. It will also give customers a single view of
than 150,000 customers had downloaded the app. Service their various dealings with the NSW Government.

3 NSW Government | ICT Strategy

 OPEN GOVERNMENT
Case Study — ePlanning

The Department of Planning & Environment delivers strategies and • E

 lectronic Housing Code – allows users to determine
decisions which balance planning and environmental issues with whether proposed works fall under exempt or complying
the goal of facilitating sustainable growth and employment in NSW. development so users can lodge a complying application.

Prior to the implementation of ePlanning, • A

 pplication Tracking – users can track a growing number of
interactions between the Department, development applications online following the Department’s
work with local councils and software vendors to develop
Councils and the community could only and implement an application tracking data specification.
be undertaken during business hours and
relied on paper-based forms and maps. • 
NSW PlanningHub – brings the ePlanning tools together
and helps make the planning system easier to navigate.
The $30 million ePlanning program is transforming the planning
system through the use of technology and the digitisation The benefits of the ePlanning program are enhanced quality
of planning services. The program includes online lodgement and reliability of spatial and textual planning information across
and tracking of applications, viewing planning information on NSW, greater confidence in the planning system, and time and
a web based interactive map, improving map making processes cost savings. More than 160,000 visitors have accessed the new
and providing new ways for stakeholders to engage with the ePlanning tools – the Planning Viewer, Interactive Buildings and Local
planning system. Insights – in the first nine months following their launch in July 2014.

The ePlanning range of free online tools and services includes: The ePlanning tools are available at hub.planning.nsw.gov.au.

• Planning Viewer – interactive maps showing planning rules

that apply to individual properties across NSW and live links
to other data such as the State Heritage Register.

• I nteractive Buildings – access to three separate interactive

building categories (residential, commercial and industrial)
allowing users to view common building works that require no
further planning approvals – known as exempt development.

• 
Local Insights – an application for mobile devices and
desktop computers that provides access to a range of
planning related information and trends about NSW local
government areas.

NSW Government | ICT Strategy 4

OPEN DATA
Case Study — NSW Education Datahub

The NSW Education Datahub has been created by the Centre The NSW Education Datahub is a
for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE).
searchable central repository of publicly
CESE undertakes in-depth analysis of education programs available data which is presented in
and outcomes across early childhood, schools, training, and a form that allows the data to be
higher education to help generate whole of government, manipulated and exported in a usable
evidence based decision making.
format. CESE has also developed
Before CESE was established, data and statistics were kept a range of video tutorials which help
in pockets throughout the Department of Education, and mainly users make the most of the data.
published in printed reports. To improve access to data, the
Department established the NSW Education Datahub and The NSW Education Datahub includes tools for presentation of
developed an open data policy based on the NSW Government data, such as visualisations in graphs, tables and maps. All data on
Open Data Policy. the Datahub is covered by the Creative Commons (CC BY) licence.

5 NSW Government | ICT Strategy

 INFRASTRUCTURE &
MANAGED SERVICES
Case Study — Department of Justice moves to cloud

The Department of Justice delivers legal, court, and supervision The Department’s 250-member IT team is focused on
services to the people of NSW. consolidating legacy applications to run on six platforms.
The Department has also taken up Amazon Web Services
Justice is accelerating the uptake of cloud services as it
and is consolidating multiple enterprise resource platform (ERP)
overhauls a fragmented, ageing technology environment
systems into a Software as a service (SaaS) model in GovDC.
with over one hundred legacy applications. The legacy
environment was a key business risk and an impediment to
delivering better services through digital channels. The business system reform project aligns with the NSW
Government ICT Strategy objective for better public services
through better value ICT investment. Justice expects the
Justice is now migrating all its business project will deliver significant savings and will improve the
systems to ‘X as a service’, to be hosted in reliability and performance of the ICT infrastructure to meet
the NSW Government data centres (GovDC). the demand for anywhere, anytime services.

NSW Government | ICT Strategy 6

PROCUREMENT
REFORM
Case Study — Offer Endorsement Process

The NSW Government has reformed procurement to drive industry, and reduces red tape by including information
value for money, deliver quality government services, increase about how suppliers meet these requirements, on the ICT
competition and improve the alignment of purchases with Services Catalogue.
business needs.
The first stage of the OEP involves the development of
The Offer Endorsement Process (OEP) Procurement and Technical Standards. Following this,
was designed to reduce red tape and Market Engagement occurs to invite suppliers to submit
proposed services that meet or exceed the Standard.
allow industry to provide an innovative Once a proposal has been assessed against the Standard
solution to agreed government standard it is loaded into the ICT Services Catalogue with a Technical/
requirements for a service. Quality “tick of approval”.

The ICT Services Catalogue is an online marketplace where The ICT Services Catalogue now has additional filtering options
NSW Government ICT buyers can search through a catalogue to assist buyers to locate ‘as a service’ solutions that meet a
of ICT suppliers and information about how they meet NSW predefined set of requirements (Standards). Additional filtering
Government procurement and technical standards. The OEP options for categories such as commercial terms and data
is the mechanism through which the government defines the centre locations helps to inform the buying the community,
procurement and technical standards in consultation with enabling a streamlined procurement process.

7 NSW Government | ICT Strategy

 INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT & SHARING
Case Study — Human Services Data Hub

The Human Services Data Hub (the Hub) is a central repository portal. Agencies can generate reports and maps relevant to
of data about human services programs across NSW. The their needs and conduct searches by provider, location, client
Hub provides information that will assist service planning, type, service type, value and duration.
management and coordination of services across NSW
Government agencies. The project aligns with the NSW Government ICT Strategy
Information Management Framework through the application
The Hub stores aggregated data of data standards and sharing of information between the
about the scope and coverage of NSW participating agencies.
Government–funded human services,
and human services delivered directly
by government. This provides agencies
with a holistic picture of providers and
service areas.
The Hub allows agencies to identify human services delivered
across NSW by service classification, service provider and
service delivery location in a simple and searchable online

NSW Government | ICT Strategy 8

ICT SKILLS
& CAPABILITY
Case Study — ICT Communities of Practice

The NSW Government recognises the need to have the right mix ‘As the Senior Responsible Officer
of knowledge and skills to implement its strategic ICT direction. It is
also working to ensure that the public sector workforce is equipped
for a small agency being an active
to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology landscape. participant in the Community of
Practice is incredibly important to
New communities of practice (CoP) provide forums to share fulfil the duties of my role, maintain
knowledge, learn about local and international trends, and
support the implementation of the NSW Government ICT Strategy.
a connection to emerging issues and
Communities have been established for ICT Professionals, to properly support my agency in the
Information Security, Open Government, and others. area of information security.
The NSW Public Sector Community of ICT Professionals The focus of the CoP in the sharing
commenced in 2013. Its aim is to build an active community to of policy, security and technology
support ICT innovation and operation across the NSW Public
Sector. There are currently over 850 members of the Community
development and hearing of the
from across all agencies and levels of the NSW Public Sector. experiences of other agencies has a
Six ICT Community events have been held, attracting over 720 direct benefit for the creation of our
participants with feedback received being overwhelmingly own information security strategy.’
positive. In a membership survey of the Community in late
2013, 97% of respondents reported that the Community’s — Information Security CoP member
events provide valuable networking, mentoring and career
development opportunities.

An Information Security CoP comprises over 200 members

consisting of nominated Senior Responsible Officers and More than 400 people from across industry have joined the
other professionals across organisational areas such as Open Government Community of Practice since it was launched
information security, information and records management, in 2014 at Parliament House. Areas of focus for the group
privacy, legal, and ICT. The group has achieved a number of include: better access to data and information, community
outcomes including support for the implementation of the NSW engagement, collaboration on public service solutions, and
Government Digital Information Security Policy, and information digital communications and services including social media.
classification and labelling guidelines to address whole of Membership comprises people from all levels and functions of
government information risks. government, industry and the community.

9 NSW Government | ICT Strategy

 ICT INNOVATION
Case Study — State Records social media

State Records is the NSW Government archives and records The interactivity of the digital channels
management authority.
enables the community to contribute
State Records engages with the community through a range information which can be added to
of social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, records in the archive once verified.
Flickr, HistoryPin and a popular blog.
Users add comments and tags to the image catalogue which
Prior to the introduction of social media in 2008, access to is available on Flickr. Over 11 million views have been attracted
the state archives was limited to visits in person and requests to the site. The information provided by the community through
for information through the website, email or by phone during Flickr and the Archives Outside blog has contributed to the
office hours. Social media provides State Records with an State Records book Moments in Time. Social media platforms
accessible, cost effective way to raise awareness about their also complement work underway to digitise the state records
archival collection. collections through the Digital State Archives project.

NSW Government | ICT Strategy 10

 NSWICTStrategy

ICT_NSW

NSWICT

www.finance.nsw.gov.au/ict

Title: The NSW Government ICT Strategy –

Case Studies, 2015

©Crown in right of New South Wales through

the Office of Finance and Services, 2015
This copyright work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Australia Attribution
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Any inquiries relating to this publication may
be addressed to the Office of Finance and
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ISBN: 978-0-7347-4499-9
11 NSW Government | ICT Strategy