Mr J. BULL (Sunbury) (18:36:14) — I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Service Victoria Bill 2017. Better service, faster service and more accessible and reliable service — that is what this bill is all about. The Andrews Labor government is focused on getting things done to ensure that Victorians have the best opportunities in the country as we get on and deliver those important projects, those landmark projects, that make our state the best in the nation. This bill will assist Victorians in going about their lives better in a safer and more secure manner.

It is very fair to say that the world is becoming increasingly more complex. If you just look over the last 10 years and sit back and take note of the evolution of technology — the advance of smartphones, for example, the advance of ICT and the significant advances in all of those technologies that we use each and every day — it is very fair to say that we are moving at a rapid rate. We know of course that many of these technologies do wonderful things for our community. They do wonderful things in the areas of health, science and medical research, and they can assist in a whole range of other ways. There are of course, though, examples of where these systems can overlap and at times become more confusing. We know that our services and infrastructure can be somewhat confusing for end users.

This bill is effectively a measure for bringing together many of those government services. If you take hotlines, for example, we know that there are literally hundreds of hotlines that are currently available to clients along with over 500 different websites, which of course can cause unnecessary delays and frustration to hardworking Victorians. What people need, at the end of the day, is for information to be protected, for information to be accessible and for information to be usable through a transparent process. Community consultation demonstrated in this bill process that 61 per cent of a selection of Victorians under a Service Victoria inquiry preferred a one-stop shop platform that would let them amalgamate all prior and future government transactions. We know that this is sound research, and certainly speaking to people in my community it is fair to say that people would be supportive of that.

There are a whole range of services that Victorians use each and every day, and they speak to us as local members of Parliament about ways that we could improve such services. The research examined 1500 Victorians from across the state, both in rural and metropolitan areas, particularly those that are elderly, those with disabilities and those of non-English-speaking backgrounds. As I have outlined, the development of the bill has been a reflection of what the personal experience is. It is a set of guidelines and effectively a platform that makes information more accessible, more transparent and easier to use. We know that the bill creates a whole range of measures for the one-stop shop platform, and people can also expect their privacy and personal information submitted through this process to be protected.

There are a whole range of benefits that I will outline very briefly. I am certainly conscious of time this evening. As I have mentioned, the bill will establish Service Victoria as a central access point for government transactions — faster, simpler, easier ways for people to complete basic transactions with government departments and agencies, such as paying for car registration. On car registration, the ability of people to now pay for car registration in instalments has been an outstanding announcement — and how well it was received in my community. The other examples include applying for a fishing licence and a whole range of other government services that are available and able to be used. The bill will enable Service Victoria to provide a standardised and centralised approach to identity verification, and it will allow Victorians to transact securely and easily without the inconvenience of providing identity information on multiple occasions to those different agencies.

Having a flexible service that is able to perform a number of functions is critically important for the end user, and it is important for the Victorians I mentioned before who have difficulties, whether it be with a disability or whether it be that they are elderly. It is far more complex for both of these groups to manage and effectively navigate the range of government services.

The bill allows the Victorian government to provide customers with convenience and with a whole set of new standards in customer service best practice. This is yet another example of the Andrews Labor government getting the job done. I am very proud that this bill and its amendment fulfil our election commitment to address digital technology and ensure that modern, safe, streamlined services are available for all Victorians. I commend the bill to the house.