Leaving no-one behind – 8 steps towards an inclusive Digital Government

Digital inclusion is an often-overlooked issue in today's digital economy, with technology continuing to play an increasingly central role in our daily lives. As more and more of our daily interactions and transactions, take place online, it's crucial that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the digital world. Unfortunately, globally, individual access to technology and the internet are not equal and therefore the digital wellbeing of global citizens is a topic which demands action and investment.

The concept of digital inclusion encompasses a wide range of issues, including access to affordable internet and devices, digital literacy, and the availability of online resources and services. Without digital inclusion, individuals, communities, and even entire countries can be left behind in terms of economic opportunity, education, and social connectedness. However, despite these efforts, digital inclusion remains a significant challenge. It is a complex issue that requires collaboration and cooperation from across government and private sector organizations.

COVID-19 is one of the best case-studies of digital initiatives which had material and positive impacts on the accessibility and efficiency of public services to citizens, which would have failed without modern technologies. Last year, Charles McHardie(*1) provided an overview of the impact of digital transformation within the context of COVID-19 in the Services Australia key note at Gartner’s Symposium. As a social services agency, Services Australia was critical to the welfare of citizens who were in quarantine and isolated from face-to-face services. As such, the enablement of e-gov services that had occurred over the preceding years, coupled with additional tactical measures, allowed stimulus payments and benefits to be delivered with minimal interruption. By way of example, Victoria paid 1 million dollars in social benefits in 4 days due to digitized services during the early COVID-19 response.

Elsewhere, the digital agenda in government has plans for other far reaching transformational outcomes such as:

1. Fiber Connections in Kazakhstan(*2): where there has been a more than 8x increase in the number of people who are served with a fiber optic connection.

2. The Digital India program in India: which aims to increase access to digital services and bridge the digital divide in India. This program includes initiatives to provide high-speed internet and to provide digital literacy training to citizens in rural areas.

3. The Digital Entrepreneurial Hubs in Australia: which provide funding, resources and support to digital entrepreneurs and startups to start and grow their businesses.

Many of these examples are a fundamental and often overlooked foundational pillar of any digital government, the accessibility of digital systems to citizens. As one of the United Nations’ 11 principles of effective governance(*3) for sustainable development, “leaving no one behind” ensures that digital inclusivity remains a priority. In fact the 9th UN Sustainability Goal Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure(*4), targets to “Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.” And yet, in 2023, we still have more to do to protect the digital wellbeing of global citizens.

Using simple internet access as a barometer of inclusivity, the ability for citizens to access digital services is lacking especially for under-served populations. Data from the International Telecommunication Union shows that the average global internet penetration rate was 66% in 2022, leaving more than 35% in the dark. The divide is even larger in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), which has a penetration rate of just 36%.

To protect the most vulnerable members of society, digital equality will have pronounced focus for all digital government agendas. Therefore, all new digital initiatives must have a policy mandate for fair and equal digital access. Recognizing that a digital service must be accessible and understandable by citizens, what can be done to reduce the digital divide?