WAITING in line at Centrelink or being stuck in a phone queue for Medicare support will soon become a thing of the past, according to a Federal Government strategy released today.
The Department of Human Services has launched its digital transformation strategy, which aims to take all government services online by 2025.
In line with the government’s My Health Record initiative, it expects every Australian to have an online database of their records via a My Gov account.
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READ NOWHuman Services Minister Michael Keenan said it would avoid people having to deal with multiple agencies.
“Imagine never having to queue up in a government office again because every sort of transaction you can think of will be available online – whether it is applying for welfare payments, registering a birth or a death, or even setting up your business end to end,” he said.
“Or imagine never having to wait on the phone to have your questions answered because a digital assistant will be available 24-hours a day.
“This is the way Australians will be able to interact with government in the very near future – a future where their needs come first and where privacy and security are always paramount.”
A trial called the Tell Us Once program will start next year, where people can inform the government of a change and the agencies with whom they need to share information.
Mr Keenan said this would be particularly valuable in the case of a death because it would save the grieving person from having to repeat the same painful information.
For more details, visit dta.gov.au/strategy.