For a country of 26 million people, Australia's three tiers of government are made up of enormous diversity, from massive federal government agencies through to tiny local governments with scarcely a couple of thousand residents.

Despite this apparent disparity, governments and agencies across Australia nonetheless find themselves united by a set of trends which will have a significant influence on their spending behaviour for 2024 and beyond.

Australia was ranked fifth by the OECD's 2023 Digital Government Index (DGI), but this high standing is now jeopardised by the fact that many of the systems that agencies have relied on are getting past their prime.

The need to modernise services is also being driven by citizens' expectations which are being set through their engagement with commercial service providers, and by a few breakaway agencies that have raised the bar for all others.

And at all levels, the structures and restrictions of public sector employee sees governments and agencies competing with one hand behind their back in a market for skills that is already significantly depleted. And they must do so at a time when many are experiencing unprecedented requirements for fiscal restraint.

Public Sector Tech 2024 was created using insights, research, and opinion from industry analysts, and end-user CIO case studies, to provide a compelling overview of the key trends, challenges and threats in public sector for IT in the last 12 months.  

Hear from local, state and federal government tech leaders including:

• Dave Burns, CIO, Sunshine Coast Council
• Naran Gangavarapu, chief information and digital officer, Northern Beaches Council
• Fredy Liévano Gutiérrez, digital delivery lead, Local Government Association of Queensland
• Rod Sprenger, former director - digital Health, SA Health
• Richard Hill, CIO, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, South Australia
• Jon Straker, CTO, NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI)
• Michael O’Leary, assistant director-general, Queensland Department of Education
• Chris Fechner, CEO, Digital Transformation Agency
• Peter O'Halloran, chief digital officer, Australian Digital Health Agency

Start navigating the report by using the bar at the top of the page or clicking through the chapter buttons.