Minister for Finance, Services and Property Dominic Perrottet (centre)
The New South Wales Treasurer hasn’t yet handed down the 2015-16 Budget, but agencies like Service NSW are already making it clear that they’re about to swim in some serious cash.
That’s the story from Minister for Finance, Services and Property Dominic Perrottet, who said that the Budget due on 23rd June 2015 will allocate another $362 million to Service NSW to deliver new digital transactions and continue the rollout of more one-stop shops.
The dollar amount allocated is a significant boost compared to the 2014-15 Budget, which handed down $324 million to Service NSW, which included a $190 million transfer from Roads and Maritime, and $87.6 million for capital works for the expansion of digital services and a ‘one-stop shop’ service centre network.
Service NSW is the Coalition government’s big initiative created in 2013 that enables its customers to access government services in a ‘one-stop shop’, where many transactions can take place in a single dedicated hub that’s meant to save time and money.
Mr Perrottet made the announcement while officially opening a new on-stop shop at Bondi Juncton, where he said that the new Budget investment would focus on enhancing digital and electronic technology to ensure faster and more convenient government transaction options.
According to the Office of Finance and Services (OFS), the Budget includes a capital allocation of $97.5 million for technology enhancements including reengineering the Service NSW electronic payment platform to make credit card payments simpler and faster.
It also includes further investment in the Service NSW digital roll-out enabling more customers to use quick and easy online transactions.
With such a massive handout for Service NSW, the agency will now be able to rollout an additional 27 service centres like the one just opened in Bondi Junction across metropolitan and regional areas in the next financial year.
Service NSW won’t just have a presence in the ‘burbs and the country. The government will also roll out digital stores and ‘store in stores’.
This will tally up to 36 Service NSW centres trading across the state.
Mr Perrottet said Service NSW has been a “quiet but successful story” since launching two years ago
“Service options have lifted, access to services has increased, waiting times have been cut and customer satisfaction is at 98 per cent,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The bad old days of going to many different locations, standing in long queues or filling in multiple forms to simply renew your licence or apply for a birth certificate are over. Through Service NSW you can do all your government transactions in one place and on terms that suit you.”
He said everyone across this state will welcome the fact that we can progress this revolutionary customer-service journey with further capital investments.
