The first pilot of the new service-delivery offering from the federal government will launch later this month.
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This is where the rubber hits the road for Services Australia and Government Services Minister Stuart Robert, more than a year after Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined a vision in which dealing with government became much easier.
The first site chosen was an existing myGov site in the Perth central business district, which will welcome customers after a refit to create a specially tailored environment to assist older Australians requiring additional support.
Mr Robert said the new centre would incorporate upgraded self-service facilities and digital support, appointment-based services, and connections to specialist services using video chat.
"We have a big and ambitious vision anchored in one big question: what do people want?" Mr Robert said.
"Well, we asked Australians what they expect of us, and they told us getting help should be simple; systems and people should be helpful and intuitive; the service should be respectful of time and people's circumstances; and the process should be transparent.
"Not that long ago, 'simple' meant lining up at a Medicare counter in your lunch break with a fistful of receipts.
"Now it means swiping your card at the doctor's office. In fact, you can now do everything you need to do with Medicare online, no office visit required.
"In the not too distant future, 'simple' will mean Australians are able to access the information and services they need in one place, tailored to their individual circumstances, regardless of government structures or the level of government the service comes from."
The new offering will incorporate those values by design. For example, people's time may be respected by informing customers about how long wait times are, the process will be made helpful by ensuring interactions with the system are straightforward.
The concept of pushing people towards digital channels was given a stress test during COVID-19 and the bushfires. That added impetus to the transformation plan, with a need to deliver significant improvements to wait times on call services.
This pilot will be testing face-to-face services, including video chat interactions designed to better accommodate those customers with more complex circumstances.
As part of the trial, customers will be encouraged to provide feedback about the service experience available at the new centre.
The initial pilot program in Perth is expected to last for 12 months, while the government evaluates the response and considers customer needs for future sites in other locations.
One key metric to be evaluated is whether customers return to face-to-face meetings following the take-up of digital interactions during COVID-19.
This new phase comes after a substantial amount of work went into the backend transformation of Services Australia, since the Prime Minister announced the new ministry 18 months ago.
"The goal is to make it easier to deal with services that Australians rely on," Mr Morrison said, adding that he was seeking to mirror the ease of dealing with government that he saw in the NSW government's counterpart shopfront.
"We just want it to be much easier. There are services they rely on and we want them to access those services as easily as they can, and in as informed a way as possible.
"It's also about driving better use of information technology and apps that can assist Australians to better access services they need."