Investment by sector

This section explores the projects underway across the Australian Government through a ‘sector’ lens.

Number of projects and total budget by sector

Digital projects under the DTA’s assurance oversight are improving systems and services across 9 sectors. A common thread across all sectors is investment to improve agency systems to meet digital standards and enable them to provide simple, secure and seamless services to Australians.

Project numbers and budgets have increased in most sectors.

Image showing the number of projects and total budget by sector. See the 'image description' accordion below for the data contained in the image.

Diagram depicting the
- The Agriculture and trade sector had 6 projects totalling a budget of $0.6 billion in February 2024 and 12 projects with a total budget $1.1 billion in February 2025.
- The Education and employment sector had 12 projects totalling a budget of $1.0 billion in February 2024 and 11 projects with a total budget $0.5 billion in February 2025.
- The Government sector had 9 projects totalling a budget of $0.6 billion in February 2024 and 12 projects with a total budget $1.2 billion in February 2025.
- The Healthcare and aged care sector had 18 projects totalling a budget of $0.8 billion in February 2024 and 15 projects with a total budget $1.9 billion in February 2025.
- The Industry, Infrastructure and Business sector had 10 projects totalling a budget of $0.3 billion in February 2024 and 11 projects with a total budget $1.7 billion in February 2025.
- The safety of Australians sector had 11 projects totalling a budget of $1.4 billion in February 2024 and 15 projects with a total budget $1.9 billion in February 2025.
- The Social services sector had 4 projects totalling a budget of $0.2 billion in February 2024 and 8 projects with a total budget $0.6 billion in February 2025.
- The Tax and super sector had 5 projects totalling a budget of $0.3 billion in February 2024 and 5 projects with a total budget $0.8 billion in February 2025.
The Resources and environment sector had 14 projects totalling a budget of $0.9 billion in February 2024 and 21 projects with a total budget $4.2 billion in February.

Healthcare and aged care

15 active projects
$1.9B investment

Digital services are improving the health of Australians, including the care of older people. The 15 active projects in this sector, with a combined value of $1.9 billion, reflect the recent increase in government investment in this area.

Most of the funding ($1.2 billion) is for 9 projects to improve the aged care sector by implementing recommendations following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in 2021. This includes:

improving ICT capabilities of federal agencies to enable more effective regulation of the aged care industry
delivering a modernised system that supports aged care service providers to provide the high quality, safe care that older people deserve
ensuring nurses are available at all residential care facilities and all aged care workers are registered on a national register
supporting the different levels of independence and care required by older Australians.

The remaining 6 projects ($0.6 billion) are delivering new and improved health services, completing digital transformation of internal systems, and producing better online portals for Australians to access services.

Safety of Australians

15 active projects
$1.9B investment

The government is protecting vulnerable Australians by investing in law enforcement and online safety through 15 active projects with a combined value of $1.9 billion, being delivered across 11 Commonwealth agencies.

These projects are safeguarding Australia by:

improving access to cross-border information and real-time risk data on dangerous individuals and organisations
enhancing data matching capability to reduce investigation time and improve the ability to combat organised crime
contributing to a national view of policing information and criminal intelligence
using machine learning and artificial intelligence to significantly improve Australia’s efforts to combat illicit activities such as money laundering and unauthorised imports
developing comprehensive registries and data lakes to store historical information to allow authorities to identify suspicious activity faster
automating border clearance and cargo processes to simplify government services while also improving security alerts and risk information.

Resources and the environment

21 active projects
$4.2B investment

The government is investing $4.2 billion in 21 projects to help protect and restore Australia’s vast and varied environment and manage the country’s natural resources.

This includes a long-term project ($3.4 billion) to comprehensively map Australia’s natural resources, including critical minerals and groundwater, to support the transition to net zero and enable responsible management of all resources. Another project (over $103 million) is helping to improve the management of water resources and responses to climate change impacts in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Another 9 projects (over $560 million) are leveraging data and technology to enable rapid action to address environmental changes. Data, information and analytics are being used to better manage and protect Australia’s natural heritage and streamline work on environmental and climate risk assessment projects. Significant investment is also supporting emissions reduction and renewable energy mechanisms.

A further 5 projects (over $85 million) are building the skills and data infrastructure needed to manage and monitor energy, water and diesel exhaust fluid markets and plan for future supply and demand.

Bureau of Meteorology (Bureau): Securing weather and climate data services
At a glance
A vital investment in the Bureau's nationally critical capabilities
Tier 1
bom.gov.au
$866 million investment
Summary
The ROBUST Program has secured and strengthened the Bureau’s ICT operating environment, so it can continue to deliver critical services for all Australians.
The 7-year ROBUST Program improved system and network security, stability and resilience, following a cyber security breach and major outages in 2015 and early 2016. The program, which formally closed in June 2024, redesigned the Bureau’s legacy technology systems, related processes and software applications. This was essential to securely capture, manage and store Australian weather and climate data and provide it to governments, industry and the community.
Meeting challenges during implementation
The digital transformation involved multiple projects and technologies. It was a substantial effort that adapted to evolving circumstances. For example, national and state restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic delayed observing equipment from international suppliers, limited staff mobility for site installations and acceptance testing, and restricted access to the technology workforce expertise and depth required.
The Bureau’s role as the system integrator was also complicated by the pandemic. The previously co-located workforce, which included integrated vendor and Bureau teams, became distributed and remote. This made it harder to identify risks early and lengthened the time needed to design, communicate and integrate solutions. Although new ways of working were developed to address each challenge, the adjustment period led to schedule delays, which increased costs.
Transforming a national asset
Despite the challenges, the Bureau was able to deliver the intended outcomes.
"The ROBUST Program has delivered secure, stable and resilient information and observing technologies for the Australian community, ensuring the Bureau can continue in its core mission of providing trusted, reliable and responsive weather, water, climate and ocean services for Australia – all day, every day."

Dr Andrew Johnson
Bureau of Meteorology CEO
The ROBUST implementation has strengthened the Bureau’s defence against cyber attacks and improved staff security practices.
ICT infrastructure upgrades and new observation equipment have enhanced resilience and service continuity.
The program also stabilised ICT operations, increased automation, and launched a secure, resilient beta website with integrated data platforms – establishing the core technology platforms needed to meet current and future community service demands.
The 2024 mid-stage Gateway Review found that ‘the ROBUST Program performance was considerably better than the performance of other comparable technology programs across government’.

Education and employment

11 active projects
512.5M investment

Education and employment underpin achievement and prosperity in Australia. The government is investing $512.5 million across 11 projects to reform this sector by removing barriers, enhancing outcomes and creating more efficient processes.

Projects in this sector are using digital tools to enhance childcare subsidy administration, automate workflows, back up records, and connect service providers – improving quality and capacity.

Student loans enable further education in Australia. Initiatives are enhancing data quality and insights through organised information storage and automated processes, and supporting more effective distribution of resources and a more efficient student loans system through integration of data.

Projects related to employment services are simplifying the user experience and reducing system strain. Centralised data management is enabling effective tracking of employment trends, advancing data-driven improvements. Consolidating services onto a single platform will enhance outcomes and reduce operational costs.

The modernisation of Australia’s vocational education management system aims to expand the workforce. Initiatives are overhauling the administration of VET Student Loans and replacing outdated systems, which is essential to upscale apprenticeship programs and services.

Tax and super

5 active projects
$803.4M investment

An efficient tax and superannuation system aims to reduce unnecessary costs on the economy, while raising revenue to fund critical government services. The government is investing in 5 major projects in this sector, with a combined value of $803.4 million.

One project in this sector is helping to safeguard workers’ entitlements and address the systemic issue of employers not paying or underpaying Superannuation Guarantee entitlements. Another project is improving data availability and access to tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian Taxation Office (ATO) staff. This will enable enhanced data matching to minimise the need for staff to manually identify unpaid Superannuation Guarantee entitlements, while also reducing the reporting burden for employers.

Investment in new ATO systems has streamlined the process of managing tax requirements. Reforms to enhance the robustness, equity and sustainability of the retirement savings system are also being supported through digital projects, benefiting a broader range of Australians and supporting retirees. Other initiatives are enhancing the ATO’s capability to defend against cyber attacks, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of internal systems and data.

Another project is making sure the ATO can meet the ICT and data requirements to support a global initiative to tackle multinational tax avoidance.

Relevant case study

Some of the technological foundations for such projects within the tax and super sector were laid through a previous ATO data centre project.

Industry, infrastructure and business

11 active projects
$657.9M investment

A primary role of government is improving quality of life for Australians through investing in domestic productivity. To this end, the government is investing $657.9 million across 11 projects in the industry, infrastructure and business sector. Projects are:

enhancing business interactions with government by automating and simplifying processes to reduce time and complexity
improving reporting processes to meet community standards of transparency and fairness, which benefits business tenders
enhancing cyber security, functionality and operational sustainability to enable the Australian Government to regulate, support and oversee domestic businesses – promoting economic growth and transparency
addressing gaps in existing processes, ensuring timely payments to small businesses and grants to states and territories, and simplifying engagements between government and small to medium enterprises.

Further, geospatial digital projects are improving diverse areas like climate reporting, water, geography and demographics. Collaboration with overseas partners is boosting Australian research in climate change, clean energy and agricultural productivity. A partnership with the United States is leveraging expertise in the crucial area of satellite data. Enhancing ICT capabilities to support Australian science and foreign affairs management is paving the way for future business and employment opportunities.

Agriculture and trade

12 active projects
$1.1B investment

Agriculture and trade are essential to the Australian economy. To create the right support for the sector, the government is investing in 12 projects with a value of $1.1 billion to transform import and export processes.

Various agencies are making digital improvements, integrating machine learning into existing processes and developing platforms to support digital verification of trade documents.

A digitisation initiative is modernising Australia’s agricultural export systems. Streamlining existing processes will alleviate administrative and operational burdens for businesses and reduce the costs associated with exporting goods.

Other projects are ensuring compliance with a complex network of international obligations through enhanced information sharing and simplified system interactions. Initiatives are supporting Australia’s international trade, cooperation and regulatory missions by enhancing security and functionality to enable secure, flexible and scalable business operations. This will improve interconnectivity across agencies and create flexibility to implement new programs, while maintaining the security advantages of an enclosed system.

Social services

8 active projects
$621.3M investment

The social services sector plays a crucial role in supporting the wellbeing of Australians. The government is investing $621.3 million across 8 projects in this sector to modernise the delivery of social services, ensuring they are more efficient, accessible and better aligned to the needs of Australians.

Important initiatives to improve outcomes for people with disability include:

bringing together de-identified data from the Australian, state and territory governments to enable a better understanding of the life experiences and outcomes of people with a disability across Australia
better supporting people with disabilities in securing employment
improving capability to protect people with disabilities from abuse, violence, neglect and fraud

Another project is transforming how Australians access government services by providing a secure and efficient way for individuals to verify their identity online.

Further significant investments are modernising digital services to support veterans, streamlining the claims administration process and ensuring timely delivery of payments to assist veterans and their families.

Government

12 active projects
$1.2B investment

For the Australian Government to fulfill its commitment to delivering value through its digital and ICT-enabled projects, it needs to have robust internal processes and systems to support its operations. To support this, a total of $1.2 billion has been invested in the government sector across 12 projects.

Modernised systems are crucial for the APS to effectively and efficiently manage its responsibilities. They are needed to ensure Commonwealth agencies comply with cyber security policies, minimise vulnerabilities and can protect sensitive information from potential attacks.

Current digital architecture and ageing technology cannot support increased demand or maintain compliance.
ICT capability projects range from work to support election services to national data collection, and are:

enhancing cyber security and reliability across several Commonwealth agencies, reducing shared cyber risks and aligning with government policies
upgrading systems to meet digital standards, enhance service delivery, reduce errors and increase efficiency
ensuring the integrity of collected data to lead to more comprehensive insights supporting the development of policy and distribution of funds and services.

Disclaimer
“Certain numbers in this report have been rounded to one decimal place. Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures.”

Major Digital Projects Report