Now in its fourth year, Adobe’s Digital Government Index for Australia report offers a deeper and more connected view of how governments are delivering digital services. With each iteration, the relationships between the distinct dimensions we measure have become clearer, revealing how progress in one area can influence, or be influenced by, movement in another. This longitudinal view allows us to see not just what is changing, but how these elements interact to shape the direction of progress.
That perspective has never been more important. Governments today are operating in an environment of tightening budgets and rising expectations. The demand to do more with less is colliding with the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence, which is not only reshaping what citizens consider ‘good service’ but also fundamentally changing how they search for, access, and interpret information.
As AI becomes embedded in the way people find and use government services, agencies must keep pace with this shift in behaviour or risk losing share of voice online and the ability to communicate effectively with citizens. That’s why we have introduced an AI readiness measure this year that complements the core Index dimensions that have been tracked
over time.
This is in direct response to citizens’ rising use of AI-driven search and agentic AI applications, and reveals opportunities for agencies to strengthen the discoverability, authority and trustworthiness of public services and information in the AI era. It highlights that maintaining momentum and building capability across strategy, technology investment, and
service design and delivery will be critical to meeting these new expectations. Our 2025 findings make clear that improvement is neither linear nor finite. A strong result in one dimension doesn’t mark completion; even small shifts can signal the beginning of new challenges or unintended trends. This is a reminder that digital service delivery is not a set-and-forget exercise and that real progress depends on sustained, balanced effort across every measure.
