Disadvantaged Australians left behind by digital public services, new report finds | TechnologyOne

Australia's most disadvantaged citizens are the least likely to engage with online public services despite substantial government investment and widespread access to digital platforms, a new national report has found.

The Australian Digital Citizens 2025 report also shows big differences between the performances of local, state and federal governments, with 88.3% of respondents using government digital services compared to only 55.4% of local government online resources.

The Australian Digital Citizens 2025 report, commissioned by local Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider TechnologyOne and produced by independent research firm IBRS, provides a data-driven look at how Australians interact with digital services across local, state and federal governments.

The landmark study paints a sobering picture of the nation's digital landscape for the less well off, revealing a correlation between perceptions of government service improvement and socioeconomic status. When viewed across all levels of government, people from more advantaged backgrounds are significantly more likely to say that services are improving (55.3%) compared to people from disadvantaged backgrounds (29.1%). In addition, people from disadvantaged backgrounds overwhelmingly report that services have remained the same (54.7%), or gotten worse (16.1%), showing around three times more dissatisfaction compared to others in the community.

The findings suggest that investments in digital services largely favour citizens who are already well-served, while those who need the most support are falling behind. Getting this right also presents opportunities for the fastest efficiencies and savings, the study finds.

Respondents identified a range of reoccurring pain points including complex language (33.1%), hard to find information (39.3%), limited visibility on service progress (32.3%), time-consuming processes (Federal Government 29.2% and local government 22.5%) and a lack of timely human support (49.8%).

TechnologyOne CEO Ed Chung said, "The report provides a guidebook for all levels to improve the lives of Australian communities. The pieces of the technology puzzle are all there, but we need to put them together in such a way that we don't lose the human element and empathy for users. The real opportunity now is to improve service design and guidance in ways that meet people where they are. When we make digital services easier to understand and use, we not only improve equity we reduce pressure on call centres and walk-in offices. That's a win for both the community and the bottom line."

Dr Joseph Sweeney, IBRS Senior Advisor who led the research said, "Despite substantial investments to close the digital divide, our data confirms that disadvantaged citizens continue to face significant barriers when accessing and utilising digital government services. But these barriers are not technological. They are empathic. The good news is that the government can address the digital divide and realise the efficiency and cost-saving benefits of new technology by enriching existing services with empathic delivery design principles that educate and guide citizens through the service."

Considering the financial constraints government services face, the report offers actionable 'quick wins' for public sector leaders to deliver more intuitive, inclusive digital services including employing empathic citizen-centric service design principles and prioritising adoption of existing software capabilities.

Media contact

About TechnologyOne