Use of Government Services
Overview
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The ways in which people contact government have stabilised.
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Two in five (38%) people used the internet for their most recent contact with government. Use of the telephone and in‑person contact was relatively static at three in ten (30% and 32% respectively). The use of mail has also stabilised at around one in ten (9%).
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While the internet continues to be the most frequently used channel for contacting government among those aged between 25 and 44, it is now also the most commonly used channel amongst those 55 to 64. Those aged between 18 and 24 most commonly use in‑person contact.
3.1 Introduction
Respondents were asked a series of questions about their most recent contact with government in the previous twelve months:
- Service delivery channel - method of contact: whether the most recent contact was by internet, telephone, in‑person, mail or some other channel.
- Level of government - whether their most recent contact was with the Australian, state or territory, or local government.
- Transaction type - the nature of the contact: seeking, exchanging or providing information with a government agency and if a payment to or from government was involved.
- Service accessed - the type of government service accessed.
3.1.1 Delivery channel used for the most recent contact with government
E‑government (internet and telephone) use saw sustained growth from 2004–05 to 2008, with a corresponding decline in contact in person over the same period.
This growth in e‑government from 2004–05 to 2008 had been driven by the internet to the point where internet use doubled in the four years to 2008 (rising from 19% in 2004–05 to 38% in 2008). Since 2008 all methods of contact have remained steady. Use of the internet to contact government (38%) has remained unchanged since the last study and is still slightly higher than contact in person (32% in 2009 compared with 34% in 2008).
Figure 8 Changes in method of contacting government—by year
Text description of Figure 8 Changes in method of contacting government—by year
Q4. Thinking of this most recent contact, did you do this...?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)
Note: Percentages add up to more than 100% because some respondents reported that their last contact with government involved more than one service delivery channel.
Figure 9 Changes in method of contacting government—by service delivery channel 
Text description of Figure 9 Changes in method of contacting government—by service delivery channel
Q4. Thinking of this most recent contact, did you do this...?
Base: All respondents (n=3667)
Note: Percentages add up to more than 100% because some respondents reported that their last contact with government involved more than one service delivery channel.
Gender continues to affect the likelihood of using different service delivery channels to contact government. Differences between age groups are becoming less distinctive as use of the internet amongst older groups becomes more prevalent.
Internet
While the internet continues to be the most frequently used channel for contacting government among those aged 44 or younger, it is now also the most commonly used channel amongst those in the 55 to 64 years age group.
Males, except those in the 18 to 24 years age groups, are more likely to use the internet to contact government than females. As has been the case in past years, 18 to 24 year old males made slightly higher use of in‑person contact (34% used internet compared with 45% who made contact in person).
There is a marked drop in internet use among those 65 or older. Gender differences in levels of use continue to be evident. Nearly one in five (18%) males 65 or older used the internet for their most recent contact with government compared with a small group (8%) of females.
Telephone
The pattern of telephone use to contact government continues to show that use is higher among females in all age groups and lowest amongst the younger age groups. People aged 18 to 24 are least likely to use the telephone to contact government, with one in five (21%) males and one in four (26%) females using this channel. Use increases among the 25 to 34 age group (males 28%, females 32%) then generally stabilises at around one in four for older males and a just over a third for older females.
In-person
Contacting government in person is a relatively common way for both younger and older people to access government services. As noted previously it is the most common form of contact for males 18 to 24 (45%) and is the most common way people 65 or older contact government (males 48%, females 43%).
In the 18 to 24 age group, males are more likely to contact government in person than females (45% and 37% respectively). There is relatively little gender difference among those 25 or older.
Use of mail for contacting government is relatively low for all age and gender groups, although its use peaks among those 65 or older.
Figure 10 Method of contacting government—males by age
Text description of Figure 10 Method of contacting government—males by age
Q4. Thinking of this most recent contact, did you do this...?
Base: All males (n=1805)
Note: Percentages add up to more than 100% because some respondents reported their last contact with government involved more than one service delivery channel.
Figure 11 Method of contacting government—females by age
Text description of Figure 11 Method of contacting government—females by age
Q4. Thinking of this most recent contact, did you do this...?
Base: All females (n=1862)
Note: Percentages add up to more than 100% because some respondents reported their last contact with government involved more than one service delivery channel.
3.1.2 Use of multiple channels to contact government
This study collects data about an individual’s most recent contact with government in the previous twelve months. In some cases people have reported using more than one channel for this most recent contact, but the study was not designed to collect information about all contacts and the extent to which people use multiple ways of contacting government.
Some focus group participants used multiple channels because the complexity of dealing with government at times required them to try a number of different approaches to achieve the required outcome.
‘I think they’re just, you know, they are trying to be too much in many cases … some governments they’re just, [offering] too much up front. They are trying to be too much, too often. The whole thing is you can’t find what you want in one go and so you try one thing and then something else when what you really should have done is either gone and seen them or rang them up because they often don’t give you the pieces of paper maybe you just needed to download it.’
3.1.3 Level of government contacted
The proportions of people who have contacted each level of government have been similar in each year of this study. The Australian Government remains the most frequently accessed (43%), with state and territory (26%) and local government (29%) having similar levels of contact.
3.1.4 Transaction type being undertaken
The reason for contacting government was assessed on the basis that the individual either:
- sought or obtained information from the agency without providing any details about themselves
- provided information to the agency but did not receive any information back at that time, or
- exchanged information10 with the agency.
There has been no significant change in the type of transaction people are undertaking. Two in five (39%) people exchanged information in their most recent contact with government, while slightly fewer individuals contacted government only to obtain information (35%). One in four (24%) were simply providing information to an agency.
3.1.5 Services being accessed
In 2009, the types of services accessed during the most recent contact with government continue to be consistent with trends identified in the previous studies. Just over a quarter (27%) of contacts involve ‘community and social services’. This remains the most commonly accessed category of government service. There has been relatively little change in the level of access of other categories of service between previous years of this study. ‘Transport’ (14%) and ‘business services, economics, finance and taxation’ (11%) remain the next most common categories of services used. ‘Land, property, planning and construction’ has risen to the same level of access (11% from a slightly lower figure of 9% in 2008).
3.2 Use of Intermediaries for Contact With Government
The extent to which people used someone else to make contact with government, or to assist them to do so, on at least one occasion in the previous twelve months remains consistent at around one in five (21%).
An increasing proportion of those using an intermediary did so because they did not understand what to do or the person helping them was more experienced (42%, up from 31% in 2008).
Several focus group participants used an intermediary with more experience or expertise to discuss issues with a government employee or to complete forms and documentation.
‘My Dad is more experienced, he knows what he is doing. I just leave it to him to call on my behalf … for tax purposes. We have got like a trust set up [so] it is a lot more complicated. When I do my personal tax it is all easy… but the trust, I have tried to call myself, didn’t understand all the details, my father, like he is an accountant so he would call’
‘… even sometimes the forms you fill in, some of the questions they ask, you don’t know what they’re actually asking. So I have got him [my brother] to fill them in on my behalf but he also had to call for me just to clarify how to fill in the forms properly as well.’
The other major reasons for using this type of assistance were similar to the 2008 study, with one in ten (12%) again mentioning convenience or that they did not have time or were too busy to do it themselves (8%).
One in four (25%) of those who used an intermediary received assistance with a tax return - an increase from the one in five (19%) in 2008. There was also an increase in the use of intermediaries to find information (20% compared to 15% in 2008).
There was a marked decrease in the proportion of those who used an intermediary to help them use the internet to contact government from 2008 (5% down from 11%).
Age, gender, life stage or geographic location did not affect the likelihood of people using an intermediary.
Footnotes:
- In the 2005 to 2007 studies the ‘exchanged information’ category specifically included a reference to making or receiving a payment. In 2008 a separate question was asked about payments. The 2008 and 2009 results for these questions are therefore not directly comparable with the outcomes for those years.
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