Digital transformation expert David Hazlehurst has been appointed as the new head of Services Australia, overseeing Centrelink, Medicare, and Child Support services. 

This appointment signals potential expansion as Services Australia takes on additional federal services like passports, electoral enrolment, and identity management.

Hazlehurst's role will also focus on implementing reforms to enhance customer service, engage with welfare groups, and revamp legal and debt recovery practices in the wake of the robo-debt royal commission's recommendations acceptance.

Continuing the agency's cultural reforms initiated by Rebecca Skinner, Hazlehurst aims to shift the agency's focus toward user needs and grant more authority to front-line staff to resolve customer issues.

Services Australia, with its 30,000-strong workforce, is undergoing rapid expansion, adding 3,000 new front-line staff to address call centre delays and application claim backlogs.

The agency, formerly known as the Department of Human Services, aims to transform its myGov portal into a one-stop-shop for federal services, aligning its design with a common interface to simplify user experiences for services such as tax returns and Medicare claims.

Hazlehurst brings a wealth of experience in digital transformation projects across various portfolios and recently reviewed the myGov portal, calling for significant improvements in service linkage and user recommendation rates.

Services Australia's technology and employment strategies are also undergoing an overhaul, with robotic process automation and artificial intelligence anticipated to impact up to 40 per cent of its workforce.

Hazlehurst's appointment signifies a shift away from punitive welfare models, focusing on customer satisfaction and service delivery innovation. 

His experience as the inaugural CEO of the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) and the secretariat for the NDIS review positions him as a reformer in the public service.

His mandate includes addressing cultural issues within Services Australia, addressing previous problematic initiatives like the robodebt program, and realigning technology platforms such as the myGov digital account facility.

Bill Shorten, the Minister for Government Services, has appointed Victor Dominello, a former New South Wales customer and digital services minister, to advise on federal transactions and services alignment with the Service New South Wales model.