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Digital Service Standard v2.0

Direct link: digital.gov.au/policy/digital-experience/digital-service-standard
Responsible agency: Digital Transformation Agency
Last updated: 28 October 2024

The Digital Service Standard is part of a suite of standards and guidance that support the Digital Experience Policy. It sets the requirements for designing and delivering digital government services and puts people and business at the centre of government digital service delivery. It guides digital teams to create and maintain digital services that are:

  • user-friendly
  • inclusive
  • adaptable
  • measurable.

The Data and Digital Government Strategy sets a 2030 vision for: the Australian Government to deliver simple, secure and connected public services, for all people and businesses, through world class data and digital capabilities. The Digital Service Standard supports this vision by promoting consistency across digital services. 

Version 2.0 of the standard has 10 criteria compared to 13 in the former version. The changes reflect the Government’s increased level of digital maturity and the enhanced adoption of trust and protection principles since 2016. The reinvigorated standard also strengthens inclusion and accessibility requirements, so that no one is left behind when accessing Government’s digital services.

The Digital Service Standard v2.0 applies to new public and staff facing services from 1 July 2024 and existing public facing services from 1 July 2025. 

Access the standard

The digital.gov.au website hosts the Digital Service Standard (full text).

The criteria

Agencies must meet 10 criteria to create and maintain digital services that are user-friendly, inclusive, adaptable and measurable:

  1. Have a clear intent – a clear, high-level definition of the user problem being solved balances their needs with government priorities and requirements.
  2. Know your user – deeply understanding the contexts and reasons that users choose or avoid a service will reveal how to make it more valuable to them. 
  3. Leave no one behind – a deliberate effort to challenge assumptions and design for marginalised users will ensure the service is inclusive, accessible and useful for all. 
  4. Connect services – designing and building a connected, interoperable service grants users a simple, seamless experience and enables government to function as one. 
  5. Build trust in design – making sure the service is useful, easy, inclusive, transparent and stable will build users’ trust and confidence in government. 
  6. Don’t reinvent the wheel – drawing on other agencies’ experiences and adopting common platforms, patterns and standards will deliver value for government and familiarity to users. 
  7. Do no harm – understanding how a service impacts users’ digital rights and privacy will protect them from adverse and unintended consequences. 
  8. Innovate with purpose – innovating with clear intent will give meaning and justification to harnessing new technologies and avoid new for the sake of new. 
  9. Monitor your service – continuous monitoring and measurement of services will ensure they operate smoothly, remain secure and cater for users’ evolving needs. 
  10. Keep it relevant – by responding to users’ feedback and changing needs with impactful improvements, the service will remain fit for purpose.

Capabilities

This standard supports digital solutions in the following capability.
CAP30

Web Content Management (Business)

CAP1

Digital Portal (Individual)

CAP23

Web Content Management (Individual)

CAP18

Digital Portal (Business)

Policies

This standard assists in meeting the requirements of the following policies.
POL3

Digital Portal policy (Position)

POL38

Digital Experience Policy

Designs

The following designs show how to achieve the intent of this standard.
Direct link: my.gov.au/en/about Responsible agency: Services AustraliamyGov is a contemporary digital platform available via a native app and web portal. myGov is delivered through a modern and adaptable digital platform that is responsive to the changing needs of its users and Government…
Direct link: www.ato.gov.au/online-services/online-services-for-individuals-and-sole-traders/ato-appResponsible agency: Australian Taxation Office  An individual or sole trader can use ATO online services through myGov to manage tax and super in one place. Users can access the following…
Direct link: business.gov.au Responsible agency: Department of Industry, Science & Resources  business.gov.au is a whole-of-government website for the Australian business community. It provides simple and convenient access to a range of business related information, services and…
Direct link: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-support-online-accountsResponsible agency: Services Australia A Child Support online account can be used to check child support payment details and keep personal details up to date. A myGov account is needed to set up and use a Child Support online…
Direct link: www.abrs.gov.au Responsible agency: Australian Taxation Office  A Director Identification Number (director ID) is a unique 15-digit identifier required for directors of Australian companies. Managed by the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS), it helps prevent…
Direct link: www.housing.vic.gov.au/online-servicesResponsible agency: Department of Families, Fairness and Housing HousingVic Online Services is a secure online platform allowing Victorian renters and social housing applicants to view and manage their housing information through myGov. The secure…
Direct link: developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/resources/resource-services/my-health-recordResponsible agency: Australian Digital Health Agency My Health Record is an online summary of a person’s key health information. Individuals can access and manage their record through myGov, while their…
Direct link: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/express-plus-centrelink-mobile-appResponsible agency: Services Australia The Express Plus Centrelink mobile app allows people to manage their Centrelink information directly from their mobile devices. It provides people with the ability to: check and…
Direct link: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/express-plus-medicare-mobile-appResponsible agency: Services Australia The Express Plus Medicare app is a mobile app that lets users manage their Medicare information from their mobile devices, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  To use the app, a user…
Direct link: www.ndis.gov.au/participants/using-your-plan/managing-your-plan/my-ndis-mobile-appResponsible agency: National Disability Insurance Agency The my NDIS mobile app provides NDIS participants with an accessible and user-friendly way to: view their budget view their NDIS plan information…
Direct link: www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/my-quitbuddy-appResponsible agency: Department of Health and Aged Care My QuitBuddy is an app that helps people with their efforts to quit smoking and vaping. It provides tracking systems to chart progress, tips and distractions to overcome…
Direct link: www.casa.gov.au/resources-and-education/our-systems/mycasa-portalResponsible agency: Civil Aviation Safety Authority myCASA is an online portal that enables people to engage with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), accessing certain services and managing their information…
Notice The Digital Service Standard v2.0 was released on 4 December 2023. For the 2024-25 Budget process, agencies going through the DCAP Assessment will be required to meet the Digital Service Standard v1.0.   The Digital Service Standard Guides and Tools provides advice on how agencies can…
The DTA Pilot Tell Us Once platform was developed under the Public Service Monetisation Fund (PSMF) from 2017 to 2019 as one of a set of reusable digital platforms (Whole-of-Government Platforms), to help Australian Government agencies provide better services. The Tell Us Once aim was to create a…
Direct link: design-system.agriculture.gov.auResponsible agency: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry The Agriculture Design System (AgDS) is an open-source design system that builds on the visual language and design principles of the original Australian Government Design…
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