| Recommendation: 13 | Improve funding, structure, and management of digital functions across the APS | Overall status: Complete |
| Thodey guidance | Status | Delivery on Thodey |
|---|---|---|
| Government to strengthen DTA as chief digital adviser, with: responsibility to advise on prioritisation of digital investment and monitor digital projects, capability and risks authority to enforce Commonwealth digital policies (e.g., relating to digital capability, procurement and funding) across the APS, and appropriate resourcing and capability to discharge these functions. | Complete | A mandate change on 1 July 2021 gave the DTA greater responsibility for advice on strategic and policy leadership, ICT investment and digital service delivery. The Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework is now in operation with six-states: 1-Strategic Planning, 2-Prioritisation, 3‑Contestability, 4-Delivery Assurance, 5-Sourcing, and 6‑Operations. The Government released an initial Data and Digital Government Strategy in May 2023 outlining its vision to deliver simple, secure, and connected public services for all people and business through world class data and digital capabilities. The final Data and Digital Government Strategy, supported by an implementation plan outlining initiatives that will achieve progress towards the Australian Government’s vision, is expected to be released by the end of 2023. |
| DTA to support Services Australia overhaul digital service delivery. | Continuing | The DTA supported Services Australia in the myGov User Audit secretariat between September and December 2022, and a response is being developed jointly across the two agencies for consideration by Government. |
| Secretaries Board to establish a digital working group to support the DTA deliver on its strengthened mandate. | Complete | The Secretaries Digital Committee first met on 24 September 2020. Its mandate was broadened to include data, and was renamed the Secretaries Digital and Data Committee (SDDC), with the SDDC first meeting on 19 October 2022. It provides strategic leadership to promote an APS-enterprise approach to the planning, coordination, investment, assurance, and delivery of trusted and secure digital and data capabilities across government. |
| In the long term, Government to consider transitioning Commonwealth digital functions into a stand-alone central department. | Complete | At the release of the Thodey Review in 2019 the DTA was in the Social Services portfolio. Since the Thodey Review was finalised, the DTA joined the Prime Minister and Cabinet Portfolio on 15 April 2021 through to 23 May 2022. Since May 2022 DTA has been in the Finance portfolio. Responsibility for data and digital functions, including legislation, policy and implementation, currently sit across several portfolios. The Department of Finance has responsibility for data, the Department of Home Affairs has cyber policy (hardening government IT) and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources has Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence. The DTA is supporting integrated cross-portfolio approaches in part through the Data and Digital Government Strategy and an evaluation of the Digital Investment Oversight Framework to provide integrated prioritisation advice to government. |