Use of Government Services
Overview
- Use of the internet to contact government is continuing to grow, while contact in person is continuing to decline.
- Use of the internet for the most recent contact with government has doubled in the four years to 2008 (rising from 19% in 2004–05 to 38% in 2008).
- Usage levels for telephone and mail remain static at three in ten (30%) and one in ten (9%) respectively.
- Contact in person is no longer the most common way of people last accessed a government service. Use of the internet (38%) to do this is now slightly higher than in-person(34%) and the telephone (30%).
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 has seen sustained growth since 2004–05, with a corresponding decline in contact in person over the same period.
This growth in e‑government has been driven by the internet to the point where internet use has doubled in the four years to 2008 (rising from 19% in 2004–05 to 38% in 2008). Use of the internet to contact government is, for the first time, now slightly higher than contact in person (34%).
The decline in contact in person (noted in previous studies) continues, while usage levels for telephone and mail remain static at three in ten (30%) and one in ten (9%) respectively.
Figure 12 Changes in method of contacting government—by year
Text description of Figure 12 Changes in method of contacting government—by year
Q4. Thinking of this most recent contact, did you do this...?
Base: All respondents (n=3650)
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 13 Changes in method of contacting government—by service delivery channel
Text description of Figure 13 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=3650)
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.
Age and gender affect the likelihood of using different service delivery channels to contact government.
Internet
The internet is the most frequently used channel for contacting government among those aged 44 or younger, with relatively little difference in the likelihood of males or females in this age group using the internet. Two in five people 24 or younger (39% males and 41% females) and just under half of those aged 25 to 44 (47% of both males and females) used the internet for their most recent contact with government. A notable exception to this is males aged 18 to 24 who made slightly higher use of in‑person contact (39% used internet compared with 43% who made contact in person).
This pattern of internet use continues among those aged 45 to 64, although internet use declines to just under two in five as contact in person starts to become more frequently used. An exception to this trend is males aged 45 to 54, who maintain a higher level of internet use at 49%.
There is a marked drop in internet use among those 65 or older. Gender differences in levels of use are also evident. Nearly one in five (18%) males 65 or older used the internet for their most recent contact with government compared with one in ten (10%) females.
Telephone
Telephone use is higher among females in all age groups and lowest amongst the younger age groups. People aged 24 or younger are least likely to use the telephone to contact government, with one in five (19%) males and one in four (26%) females using this channel. Use increases among the 25 to 34 age group (males 25%, females 31%) then generally stabilises at around three in ten for older males and 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 24 or younger (43%) and is the most common way people 65 or older contact government (males 47%, females 48%).
While younger males are more likely to contact government in person than younger females (males aged 18 to 24 43%, 25 to 34 32%; females aged 18 to 24 33%, 25 to 34 26%), there is relatively little gender difference among those 35 or older.
Figure 14 Method of contacting government—males by age
Text description of Figure 14 Method of contacting government—males by age
Q4. Thinking of this most recent contact, did you do this...?
Base: All males (n=1828)
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 15 Method of contacting government—females by age
Text description of Figure 15 Method of contacting government—females by age
Q4. Thinking of this most recent contact, did you do this...?
Base: All females (n=1822)
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.
Many focus group participants, however, clearly identified that they do use multiple means of resolving an issue in many instances.
‘It’s never just a simple one contact process with government ... when I had a problem with sewerage on my property I rang the Authority … I met them on site and they fixed the problem, but after the incident I thought well this is the second time this has happened and it doesn’t happen to any one else in the street, just me. So I wrote an email outlining the health hazard of it … I didn’t get a reply until after a week [when] they rang me up and said you’ve got a problem with the pipes … we need to send a camera down so then I had to go and meet them to give them access and that involved a series of calls to arrange an appointment.’
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 level of government (42%), 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 information8 with the agency.
Two in five (41%) people exchanged information in their most recent contact with government, while slightly fewer individuals contacted government only to obtain information (37%). One in five (20%) were simply providing information to an agency.
There was some evidence from the focus groups that the type of transaction influences the channel chosen to contact government.
‘It would depend entirely on what it was that I wanted. If it was a form there’s no way I would bother ringing, I’d just go onto the website … If I had an issue I’d probably ring and I’d probably [then] follow up with an email and confirm the conversation so that’s in writing. If I just want some information I would probably use the internet – if it’s better to have a conversation then I would ring, so it would depend entirely on what I was after.’
Figure 16 Type of transaction involved in most recent contact with government
Text description of Figure 16 Type of transaction involved in most recent contact with government
Q3B. What was the reason for this contact?
Base: All respondents (n=3650)
3.1.5 Services being accessed
In 2008, the types of services accessed during the most recent contact with government are consistent with trends identified in the previous studies. The proportion of contacts involving ‘community and social services’ (30%) continues to increase each year and 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’ (10%) remain the next most common categories of services used.
Figure 17 Most common services used in most recent contact with government
Text description of Figure 17 Most common services used in most recent contact with government
Q3A. I would like you to think of government services, of any type at all in Australia, including local councils, state governments and the Australian Government. I am interested in all contact you have had with ANY government services in the PAST 12 MONTHS. Contact can include applying for things, providing information about yourself, making payments, enquiries, or looking for information. What was the MOST RECENT contact you had with a government service? Please name the service you contacted and the reason for the contact.
Base: All respondents (n=3650)
Note: Only the most common services used are summarised in the above figure.
3.2 Use of Intermediaries for Contact With Government
In 2008, one in five (19%) 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.
The main reasons people used an intermediary were because the intermediary was more knowledgeable or the person did not understand what to do (31%), the person did not have time or was too busy to do it themselves (11%) or for convenience (11%).
One in five (19%) of those who used an intermediary received assistance with a tax return. Of these, 21% used an accountant or tax agent.
Intermediaries were used to find information in 15% of cases. A further one in ten (11%) used an intermediary for assistance in using the internet or contacting government online. Age, gender, life stage or geographic location did not affect the likelihood of people using an intermediary.
The role of intermediaries to help in dealing with government was raised in all focus groups – particularly for completion of forms and in following formal procedures.
‘I had to go and pick up a parcel at [Australian Government agency], but there was all this paperwork to complete … the … guy says well you can do it yourself, I … hesitated, he said, or if you’d like, just go with your agent, it will cost you $70 or something, and I elected to do that, … it was all done in about ten minutes, because she knew where to go and what to do. I wouldn’t have known that.’
Footnotes:
- In previous 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 results for these questions are therefore not directly comparable with the previous studies.
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