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Articles by Victor Dominello
The government needs a new playbook for funding digital transformation
Australians increasingly experience government through digital services. Whether it’s accessing Medicare, lodging a tax return, renewing a driver’s licence, or enrolling a child in school, these interactions shape public perceptions of government itself. When digital services are simple, secure, and reliable, trust grows. When they fail, confidence in government can erode quickly.
The cognitive balance sheet: Auditing the national intelligence reserve
Leaders across both the public and private sectors are facing significant pressure to adopt artificial intelligence across their organisations. The promise is that AI is the new engine of efficiency, making employees smarter and more productive, helping organisations move faster and more effectively. At the same time, increased AI-related layoffs across industries stoke fears among workers, who feel they must learn how to adopt AI quickly or be replaced by it.
The seduction of the ‘Yes’ button: From automation bias to augmented judgment
In Part 3 of our ‘Government 3.0’ series, Victor Dominello and Carmem Domingues discuss the risks of passively accepting the baked-in bias of AI automation. Part 2 argued that faster processes are not the same as better public outcomes, and Part 1 discussed the need for AI that sharpens thinking rather than just speeding up processes. In the age of AI, the greatest risk to government integrity is not that machines become too smart, but that humans become too passive.
Stop building high-speed highways to goat tracks
In Part 1 of this series, Victor Dominello and Carmem Domingues explained why Government 3.0 requires AI that sharpens thinking, not just speeding up processes. Now they look at how to overcome the ‘productivity paradox’. The promise of AI in the public sector is a dangerous half-truth. We are told it will clear backlogs and transform efficiency, but without a shift in architecture, AI is simply a turbocharger for a broken engine.
AI productivity test: Brain drain or gain?
AI promises to transform government efficiency — clear backlogs and speed up services. But the risk is quieter: AI can make bad answers sound authoritative, and in busy public systems, confident advice gets adopted fast. Visit any emergency department at peak time. The problem is universal: patients can’t move through fast enough. In Australia, “access block” means ED patients wait over eight hours for inpatient beds.
Show me the money: A better way to value digital government infrastructure
In Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise shouts into the phone: “Help me help you!” When I was in cabinet, asking Treasury for funding to build digital services, I often felt the same way. Help me, treasurer. Help me help you. Treasurers are fascinating creatures. They work hard, carry enormous pressure, and guard every dollar. Most of the year, they are nocturnal. Sitting in dark rooms with sharp pencils. Crossing out spending requests.
What's your form? The evolution of government service delivery
Every form tells a story. It reveals how government sees itself, how it interacts with people, and who really holds the power. When you fill out a form on paper, online, or through an app, you’re not just providing information. You’re entering a contract of trust. You’re revealing how much the system values your time, your data, and your dignity. Forms are not paperwork. They’re the DNA of government. They show who controls the data. They show how much friction citizens face in accessing basic services.
How one Australian State Built a Digital Government
A t the 2023 New South Wales state election, I remember standing outside a polling booth in my electorate. We had just invested heavily in new schools, a new metro line, and rebuilding the local hospital. I thought these were the things that people would want to talk about. Instead, the two most common things I heard were: how much people enjoyed my mum’s cooking on social media, and how much they loved the Service NSW app.
How NSW is building the nation's digital spine
Australia needs to grow a backbone. In the information age, this spine must be digital. It must empower the individual with more control and protections over their privacy and security. This spine by nature must be customer centric. However because Australia is a federation – the spine doesn’t look like a single column. Its appearance is more akin to a double helix. In many countries around the world they have a unitary identity system allocated to a single card – a number.
Build and they will come is Sydney’s development dilemmaLoading 3rd party ad contentLoading 3rd party ad contentLoading 3rd party ad contentLoading 3rd party ad content
In the midst of a housing shortage crisis, tension between developers and residents means NSW needs to reform its planning schemes to ensure certainty for both camps.
Victor Dominello: Trial of easing lockouts is the best way forward for Newcastle
Skip to navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer news, local-news, lockouts, newcastle, trial, victor dominello I acknowledge that there are respected voices in the community who would prefer the 2008 Newcastle Solution to remain in place. There are also respected voices in the community who would like Newcastle to open up in a safe and responsible way. READ MORE: The case against easing lockout laws In these circumstances I believe a trial is the best way forward.
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