Customer Focussed Portals Project
Making it easier for people to find Government information online and building a platform for integrated service delivery.
Overview
Note: The Customer Focussed Portal project is currently subject to review.
The continuing rapid growth of the world wide web and the resources being made available on it continue to add to the confusion for users trying to find what they want, especially without much knowledge of which agency may be the authoritative source.
The customer focussed portals framework simplifies the process of finding the services and information that a customer is looking for. The framework builds upon and organises the Australian Government's existing web presence by adding a related set of websites that presents collections of government information and services in ways that are designed around customer groupings and subject matter areas, rather than merely reflecting administrative structures.
The portals are available through their own Internet addresses and through the entry point to Australian Government information and services, www.australia.gov.au
Portal Development
Each portal was developed by a consortium of agencies which has direct responsibility for the services relevant to a customer or subject theme. Each consortium is headed by a lead agency.
Each of these portals meets a set of minimum requirements:
- a single point of access to online information and transactional services from Australian Government agencies for the relevant customer/subject group;
- customer focussed discovery processes and mechanisms (for example, the application of AGLS Metadata); and
- customer feedback mechanisms to ensure continual improvement.
The following portals have been developed:
| Customer Groups | Subject/Topics |
| Business | Agriculture |
| Community Groups | Culture and Recreation |
| Families | Education |
| Indigenous | Employment |
| Regional | Environment |
| Seniors | Government |
| Women | Health |
| Youth | Immigration |
| Law and Justice | |
Depending on individual portal progress, customer feedback and demand, the portals will become more sophisticated to add further value to the initial user experience.
State and International Examples and Related Material
These links offer insight into the growth of portals as a means of reaching citizens.
International Examples
FirstGov is an Internet-based information portal for the United States Federal Government. FirstGov is intended to be the first resource for United States citizens to find any government information on the Internet, with topics ranging from business and economy to money and benefits to science and technology.
Access Washington is the virtual business centre for interactive government services. Designed as a World Wide Web portal to Washington State, Access Washington provides a coordinated view of government information and services.
Government Guide is a portal to all levels of United States government that is managed by a private corporation, America Online (AOL).
FedWorld Information Network (USA) is a comprehensive central access point for searching, locating, ordering and acquiring government and business information.
Welcome to California is an entry point for accessing government and other information related to California. This entry point allows for a degree of personalisation.
The Canada Site Portal is the primary Internet gateway to Government of Canada information. The Internet portal is one access channel. Service Canada provides access to government information and services over the counter, by phone or through the Internet portal, the Canada Site Portal.
Directgov was launched in April 2004 as the United Kingdom Government's flagship digital service designed around the needs of the user. It brings together information from across many departments in one place, making it easier for people to find and access government information and services electronically.
Service-Public is the Government of France's interministerial portal. Its design is focussed on answering users' needs and on simplifying user's relations with Government agencies and services. A significant number of the sites are now available in English, which include a directory of French Government Web sites and foreign government sites.
eCitizen Portal is an initiative of the Singapore Government. The portal integrates information and services from various government agencies to help its citizens handle common events in life.
Domestic Examples and Links
Online WA is the official internet portal to the Government of Western Australia's information and services and includes access to FastPay, a secure, safe online payment service.
MainStreet is a community based based regional Internet project in Victoria that provides users with easy access to information, goods and services within the region.
Service Tasmania simplifies Tasmanian Government processes and makes doing business with the Government faster, easier and cheaper by making all appropriate services discoverable online.
The Victorian Government has developed a gateway named Victoria Online for information and services provided by or related to government.
Related Material
Through the Portal is a paper by Deloitte Consulting on the use of portals by government that is available from their Federal Government page.
The portals framework will build on the Commonwealth's Government Electronic Resources Network (GOVERNET)
Publications, speeches, media releases
Customer Focussed Portals Framework - background paper - 30/11/2000
Related links
Contact Us
Contact the AGIMO Service Delivery Operations Branch