Frequently asked questions

The Strategy is a call to action for the APS and sets commitments to achieve its vision. This includes actions to improve APS data and digital skills and whole-of government policies and frameworks to support the APS to safely engage with data and digital technologies.

The Strategy closely aligns with the Government’s APS Reform Agenda to build a stronger APS and is linked with other whole-of-government strategies, including the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy(Opens in a new tab/window) and the APS Workforce Strategy 2025(Opens in a new tab/window).

Every public servant has a role to play in aligning their work to the Strategy - not just those working in specific data, digital or ICT focussed roles.

Agencies should align their enterprise-level data and digital strategies with the Australian Government’s commitments and outcomes set out in the Strategy, including actions to build data and digital capability in the APS while keeping people and business at the centre of government’s data and digital transformation.

The Strategy is accompanied by an Implementation Plan (the Plan), which outlines the actions being undertaken by government agencies to meet the Strategy’s 2030 vision.

The Plan includes a selection of new and existing data and digital initiatives across the APS that supports the Australian Government’s data and digital agenda.

It highlights significant work already happening across agencies. While it does not include all data and digital initiatives, it showcases those with a significant impact on achieving the Strategy’s vision and advancing data and digital transformation.

The Metrics Framework measures progress against each mission and is updated annually with new data and measures to track the Strategy’s impact.

Agencies should consider how they will evaluate their initiatives’ progress against the Strategy missions, the current metrics, and if these could be captured and reported at an agency level.

Additionally, the Government has committed to measuring the data maturity of non-corporate Commonwealth entities. Entities are required to self-assess their data maturity using the Data Maturity Assessment Tool(Opens in a new tab/window). It provides agencies with a consistent approach to measuring and understanding their organisation’s data maturity and allows measurement of overall APS data maturity and capability.

The Strategy may be updated to reflect changing government priorities and to bring in new elements to ensure achievement of the Government’s 2030 vision; however regular updates are not anticipated.

The Implementation Plan will be updated annually to include initiatives and actions across the APS that contribute to achieve the vision, mission and outcomes of the Strategy.

The Secretaries Digital and Data Committee (SDDC) has oversight responsibility for implementation of the Strategy and significant data and digital initiatives across the APS. The SDDC is informed by advice from the Deputy Secretaries Data Group and the Digital Leadership Committee.

Through the Digital Transformation Agency’s (DTA) Commonwealth Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework (IOF) (Opens in a new tab/window)and the Department of Finance’s standard budget processes, data and digital investment proposals will be assessed and prioritised according to their contribution to achieving the Strategy’s missions and outcomes.

Under the DTA’s Benefit Management Policy (BMP)(Opens in a new tab/window) Digital and ICT-Enabled Investments require benefits be captured and linked to the Strategy’s missions. This will provide insights into spending on digital projects and the achievement of the missions.

The Digital Experience Policy (DX Policy)(Opens in a new tab/window) plays an important role in achieving the Strategy’s vision. It introduces new mandatory standards for government websites and digital services to standardise the design and delivery of digital government services and measure performance so that services can be continuously improved.

As of 1 January 2025, all government agencies are required to meet 3 new standards, the Digital Inclusion Standard, Digital Access Standard, and Digital Performance Standard, as well as the existing Digital Service Standard 2.0.

The Australian Government Architecture (AGA)(Opens in a new tab/window) plays an essential role in supporting agencies as they plan and deliver the government’s policies, strategies and digital and ICT investments. Initiative alignment with the AGA is tested within the Investment Overview Framework and is a key commitment of the Strategy to ensure simple and seamless services.

The Policy for the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in government(Opens in a new tab/window) provides a unified approach for the APS to engage with AI confidently, safely and responsibly, and realise its benefits. The policy aims to strengthen the publics’ trust in the government’s use of AI.

To support greater understanding of the diverse range of initiatives, the Department of Finance has developed the Australian Government Data System(Opens in a new tab/window). It illustrates how the elements of the system relate to and complement each other. The system is divided into 11 data practices and recognises key data initiatives and activities underway within each practice area.

The Implementation Plan provides further insights  into the APS’ progress towards achieving the Strategy’s 2030 vision. Some notable achievements follow.

The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment to build a modern APS through the development of the Data, Digital and Cyber Workforce Plan to ensure the APS workforce has the capabilities to realise the Strategy’s 2030 vision.

The DTA launched the Digital Experience Policy (DX Policy)(Opens in a new tab/window) and published the Policy for the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in government(Opens in a new tab/window).

The DTA is strengthening the Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework through the implementation of Digital Investment Plans, while proposals are being assessed for their contribution to achieving the Strategy missions.

The Department of Finance released the Data Maturity Assessment Tool(Opens in a new tab/window) providing agencies with a consistent approach to measuring and understanding their organisation’s data maturity so that they can identify areas for improvement and action.

The Implementation Plan provides further insights into the progress towards achieving the Strategy’s 2030 vision.

The Data and Digital Government Strategy is one of 44 initiatives supporting the Government’s APS Reform agenda(Opens in a new tab/window).

The Strategy’s relationship with the range of data, digital and cyber related whole-of-government strategies and related policies, frameworks, standards and schemes are outlined in the data and digital landscape on page 31 of the Strategy. This includes the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy(Opens in a new tab/window) and the APS Workforce Strategy 2025(Opens in a new tab/window).  

Building a data and digital-capable APS is a key outcome of the Data and Digital Foundations mission in the Strategy.

Recent reviews and the Government’s commitment to reduce reliance upon contractors and consultants has highlighted the importance of building data and digital capabilities in the APS.

The Australian Government has committed to uplifting APS capability to ensure staff can effectively engage with data and digital technologies to produce useful insights, advice and operate more productively. We will do this by:

• developing a whole-of-APS Data, Digital and Cyber Workforce Plan
• improving pathways for entities to share technical expertise
• engaging with industry and global experts to stay informed of the latest tools, technologies and methodologies in data and digital capability development
• promoting APS data and digital capability development through the data and digital professions
• requiring all agencies to appoint a senior leader with responsibility for their organisation’s data and educating their staff on the importance and appropriate use of data.

The APS Capability Reinvestment Fund is an innovative approach to investing in the organisational capability of the APS. It seeks to fund projects that address key APS-wide challenges, including enhancing data analytic and policy integration capabilities and building APS understanding of artificial intelligence application in the public sector.

The SES Accountabilities for Data(Opens in a new tab/window) will support agencies to understand their responsibilities for data and position the Chief Data Officer role within their organisation to optimise management of data. When data is managed as an asset, its value will be maximised through greater use and reuse, both within and between government agencies and through data sharing and release.

In addition to the accountabilities set out in the SES Accountabilities for Data(Opens in a new tab/window), Australian Government Chief Data Officers (CDOs) are accountable for their organisation’s enterprise-wide governance and use of data as an asset, as well as building agency data capabilities. This accountability involves not only the formal responsibilities but will include meeting the Government’s expectations for APS agency data management and use. To support CDOs understand their accountabilities, the Department of Finance has published the Chief Data Officer Information Pack(Opens in a new tab/window).