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Australian Government delivers its services and help people who have trouble accessing gov- ernment services. Chris Fechner, the CEO of the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), says that this change is based on a deep understanding of the challenges people face when they need government support. “Instead of just cutting down on red tape, the Life Events program aims to reshape the whole way of providing services to focus on the cus- tomer’s needs,” Mr Fechner says. To successful- ly shift to a citizen centric approach on handling life events, there must be a common dedication to improving services across all jurisdictions –

state, territory, and Commonwealth. Only then can Australia establish coherent and consistent governance and policy frameworks. Recent initiatives have explored simplifying the management of major events, such as: • Birth of a child, • Looking for work, • End of life, and • Experiencing a natural disaster. Mr Fechner says that making information ac- cessible is a key aspect of this work. “It’s about making it easy for Australians to find the infor- mation that is relevant to their life situation, and to interact with government smoothly. They shouldn’t have to know the details of how things are run to get what they need.” The Australian Capital Territory govern- ment have been leading the ‘Birth of a child’ life event. This work will see multiple paper forms replaced with a secure digital record of a pregnant woman’s antenatal journey. The aim is to provide the parent with quick and easy access to healthcare providers and services. The program has been developed in collaboration with these providers based on proof of concepts and an exploration of data transfers from users to government. The data management part is very impor- tant because the current system requires a parent to complete a standard application “Most people who are going through a life event are feeling more stressed and vulnerable than usual, and their reliance on government services increases.”

LIFE EVENTS: SIMPLIFYING SUPPORT In recent years, the number of Australian citizens requiring access to government services has grown at an exponential rate. The Life Events program is here to support them through it all. By Jessica Martyn T here have always been events that change a person’s life for the better – the birth of a child, marriage, or retire-

ment – just as there have also always been more difficult circumstances, such as death, illness, or unemployment. Australia has also faced more frequent natural disasters – storms, fires, droughts, floods, and a pan- demic – in the past ten years, adding more stress to life’s challenges. In times of joy or hardship, Australians shouldn’t be subject to the complexity and confusion that arise from differences in ser- vice standards across regions, the division of responsibilities between states, territories, and the Commonwealth, and the need to re- peatedly fill out forms and verify one’s iden- tity. The Life Events program was created by the Commonwealth, States, and Territo- ries in collaboration, to improve the way the

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