Services Australia will switch to the myGov Beta platform permanently next month, as it prepares to decommission the legacy platform supporting the one-stop shop for online government services.
The legacy myGov platform will be replaced from September 5, with new functionality expected to be progressively added to the updated myGov.
“myGov will be upgraded from September 5, when the updated myGov Beta platform replaces the legacy site at my.gov.au,” Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen said.
“We’re encouraging people to start exploring the updated platform now so they get to know the new layout before it changes.”
Jongen said the legacy platform – which has been in places since 2013 and was last upgraded in 2017 – will be “decommissioned in the following months”.
“It is almost 10 years old and there are limitations to what it can do,” he said, adding that it had served Australia well, particularly during Covid-19 after initially crashing under the weight of users.
“The updated platform will provide greater flexibility to adapt and grow with new features in the future and provide a more personalised experience.”
Services Australia has been testing the myGov Beta platform with users since September 2021, and began prompting users to try it out during tax time.
The new platform is underpinned by the government digital experience platform (GOVDXP), which Deloitte has been building since early 2020 to replace the existing myGov platform.
Based on software from Adobe, GOVDXP is expected to eventually give citizens a single, personalised view of their actions with government, with content structured around life events.
Deloitte and Adobe have been paid around $75 million for their involvement in the myGov upgrade, which was funded to the tune of $200 million in the 2021 budget.
Earlier this month, newly-minted government services minister Bill Shorten said there was potential to use the new myGov to nudge people to consider health screening and other key treatments.
“Imagine with aged-base life events – throughout life, but particularly after 40, we could nudge people to engage in preventative screening and treatments, he said.
Jongen said Services Australia is “working through potential features to help tailor the myGov experience and make it more relevant to people’s individual needs”.
“These will undergo comprehensive assessments and user testing before being added to the upgraded myGov platform,” he said.
“As we continue to make improvements and more people interact with the content and services, we’ll be able to provide them with more tailored suggestions.”
Services Australia is also continuing to work on a promised myGov app, which entered private beta testing in December 2021.
Jongen said the app would be made “available to the public to download from app stores later this year”.
The government is also planning to audit the reliability, functionality and user-friendly experience of myGov in the coming months.
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