Public faith in the federal bureaucracy will depend on the security of its IT as the government rapidly shifts its services online, the newly-minted Treasury head says.
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Dr Steven Kennedy, leaving his role as Infrastructure Department chief to take on one of the bureaucracy's most senior roles, will use a speech on Thursday to sound the warning note about public faith in bureaucrats as service delivery goes digital.
He will tell a public sector governance forum, run by the Institute of Public Administration Australian and the Institute of Company Directors, how the government must combat the nation's low levels of trust in public servants to deliver online services.
While public servants on the "front line", including nurses and police, retain trust through physical interactions and high-stress situations, only one third of Australians have confidence in the government to manage their data.
The public's faith in bureaucrats at the other end of those online services risks being undermined as a result, Dr Kennedy will say.
"Trust for the public service in a digital world will be built on how data is handled and stored, how privacy is respected, and on the security of government IT systems and infrastructure," he is expected to say.
"That will also require significant investments to ensure our IT systems remain fit for purpose.
"But that won't be enough."
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While online service delivery had to adapt to specific situations and the public's expectations, more complex cases require higher levels of interaction, Dr Kennedy will say.
Public servants were up to the job, and government bodies should work together for a more tailored and less programmatic approach.
"If the public service doesn't offer this service, people will lose trust," Dr Kennedy will say.
The Coalition has started its new term of government elevating service delivery on its agenda, while scrutiny is mounting following further reports of problems with its controversial "robo-debt" system, which had raised more than $500 million by March.
Dr Kennedy's speech follows Prime Minister Scott Morrison's address to public servants earlier this month saying the transformation of the Human Services Department into Services Australia would send a message about the importance of "doing the little things well".
In his speech on Thursday, the incoming Treasury secretary will question the efficiency of having numerous small agencies.
While they are meant to oversee government integrity, regulation, and transparency, results could sometimes be better achieved through departments and holding senior executives to account, Dr Kennedy will say.
Some new agency arrangements could also be time limited to when an objective was achieved, so as not to leave "a small legacy of agencies seeking a new reason for being".
"There is ample authority for the public service to join up and solve particular problems," he is expected to say.