NEC Australia has officially opened its new Digital Government Centre of Excellence in Perth, Western Australia, which will have a focus on building public sector productivity and efficiency through digital solutions.

The Centre, opened by the WA Minister for Innovation and Digital Economy, the Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC, will bring NEC's digital transformation capabilities at scale and offer specific solutions and technologies that could be implemented to address current challenges or improve efficiencies.

It will have a cross sector focus, building solutions across areas including healthcare, transport, public safety and smart city development.

One of the initial components of NEC’s digital government offering will be WorkZone - a world leading and purpose-built, ‘Case Management as a Service’, public-sector productivity platform and workflow solution.

Ayala Domani, Vice President - Technology & Innovation at NEC said the opening marked a significant milestone for NEC.

“Australia is uniquely placed to take full advantage of digital transformation, but this also comes with inherent challenges. Our growing population spans vast areas of the country, and we need to ensure we're enabling all Australians to benefit from a bright digital future.”

“Governments and businesses are facing increasing and complex operating environments and they require effective and efficient operations to perform. Our Digital Government Centre of Excellence will play a key role in supporting citizens and communities to be on the front foot of these challenges,” she said.

NEC has significant experience working alongside the Western Australian Government as a major service provider for a range of critical projects and will continue to support the government’s digital agenda by fostering economic growth.

The Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy, attended the official opening of the Digital Government Centre of Excellence to mark its official opening.

“We are delighted that NEC Australia has chosen Perth as its home for this Centre of Excellence,” he said.

“The Cook Government is committed to positioning Western Australia as a world leader in science and technology, with the development of a 10 Year Science and Technology Plan, which will establish the state as a global hub for science and tech development and deployment.”

The Digital Government Centre of Excellence will lift NEC’s WA presence to more than 100 staff, some of whom will work closely with its global Centre of Excellence in Denmark to drive expansion across Australia.

Developed by the Danish company KMD, now an owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, WorkZone will cater to a changing demand in service level expectations, accessibility and data compliance requirements. It reshapes the way citizens and government interact with services and each other.

Denmark has, for many years, been recognised by the United Nations as the leading provider of Digital Government services to its citizens. Over 70% of the Danish Government’s processes run on this platform, and it is utilised by over five million Danes. Denmark is the true embodiment of a Digital Government offering and WorkZone has been integrated into the majority of their backend services.

Not only does WorkZone reduce processing times for sharing information between jurisdictions from months to weeks, but it also increases productivity across government agencies and positively impacts community sentiment towards government and its service.