Digital

NSW Minister for Customer Service reveals top 5 digital transformations

He says he’s “proud to be a geek”, but that’s an understatement: in two short years as Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello has systematically transformed the way the citizens of NSW interact with Government. Where once Government was seen as a laggard in customer experience, now they’re leading the way. Matchboard asked Minister Dominello to call out his “top five” digital initiatives and here’s what he had to say…

NSW Digital Driver Licence

In November 2019, the NSW Digital Driver Licence (DDL) was rolled out state wide and has been well received by the community. So far about 2.5 million people have downloaded the DDL, accounting for almost 45 per cent of licence holders.

The DDL is convenient and can be used as proof of age and ID at a range of venues and police roadside checks.

The DDL is hosted securely on the new Service NSW app, locks with a PIN and can be accessed offline. It provides additional levels of security and protection against identity fraud, compared to the plastic driver licence.

NSW Parliament passed legislation that expanded the use of the Digital Driver Licence, giving it the same legal status as a plastic driver licence card. The DDL is now accepted by Police in every Australian State and Territory.

Park’nPay App

In October 2019, we launched Park’nPay, a one-stop shop app that allows drivers to pay for parking at meters and top up online.

The app takes the hassle out of parking and means you don’t have to search around for loose coins anymore. Drivers could potentially avoid paying parking fines as a notification is sent via the app when the meter is about to expire.

So far the following councils have come on board – Liverpool, The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Burwood, Mosman, Hunters Hill, Willoughby, Central Coast, Port Stephens.

More than 50,000 drivers have downloaded the app, with 93% giving it the thumbs up.

Service NSW QR Code

You cannot respond to a pandemic with paper. You need to respond with technology, precision and laser speed. That is why we delivered the Service NSW QR code last year for checking in to venues. It only takes minutes for customers to download the Service NSW app and seconds for businesses to check that a customer has checked in.

The QR code is free, fast and private. Personal Information collected is stored securely in a NSW Government data centre and destroyed after 28 days. It is only used to for contact tracing purposes in the event there is an infectious case.

It is mandatory for hospitality businesses and hairdressers to use our QR code.

There have been more than 100 million COVID Safe check-ins so far.

Liquor Licence Manager Portal

In October 2020, we launched the Liquor Licence Manager Portal, that will help thousands of NSW liquor businesses save time and money, have red tape slashed and be able to make payments faster.

There are more than 18,000 liquor licences in NSW and over 16,000 liquor licensees. We want them to focus on staying in business and growing and less time consumed by red tape and paperwork. We’ve put licence and other relevant industry information in one convenient location so that licensees have a bird’s-eye view of their obligations. Gone are the days of needing to print a form, fill it out and post it.

Licensees can now modify licences online in response to the pandemic and compete bulk payments for hundreds of licences in a few simple clicks.

Dine & Discover NSW

The centrepiece of last year’s State Budget was the $500 million Dine & Discover NSW program. NSW residents aged 18 and over will be eligible for four $25 vouchers, two of which can spent at hospitality businesses, while the other two can be spent at entertainment and cultural venues.

These industries have been heavily impacted by the pandemic and this stimulus will give them the boost they need, while providing households with hip pocket relief.

The program is being piloted and is expected to be rolled out state wide progressively from March.

The vouchers will be made available in a customer’s Service NSW app, while businesses will have access to a Service NSW for Business app that allows them to verify and scan a voucher. They will also be able to track payments pending and transaction history via their online Service NSW Business Profile.