The goal of Single Digital Presence (SDP) is to provide a consistent user experience and easier access to online information and services. Vic.gov.au is where all Victorians easily find what they need in one place.
All Victorians includes:
- the general public
- councils
- service providers
- business
- public servants.
Adding content to vic.gov.au
Consolidating information on vic.gov.au means information is presented in a way that makes sense in the real world. We call this using a life events approach.
The life events approach is a key pillar of the Victorian Government Digital Strategy. Organising content solutions and services by life event helps all Victorians to access what they need quickly and seamlessly.
Can I create a new website?
In some cases, exemptions are made for sites to create their own standalone instance within the SDP environment. This includes but is not limited to:
- royal commissions
- schools and TAFEs
- hospitals
- water authorities
- tourism/commercial organisations with a physical presence (e.g. zoo, Arts Centre, Shrine, Parks Victoria, Docklands Studios)
- legal and emergency services (e.g. police, Fires Services Victoria, VCAT, Court Services Victoria)
- for-profit or joint venture models with the private sector (e.g. VicRoads)
- investigators of the Victorian Government (IBAC, VAGO and Ombudsman Victoria)
- for a whole-of-government audience (e.g. Australian government resources)
- Governor and Premier of Victoria.
Applying for an exemption
If you think you have a valid reason to create a new website, you can apply for an exemption by contacting the SDP engagement manager via our online support form.
Adding content to vic.gov.au
Vic.gov.au is the home for Victorian government information. It publishes content from all departments and multiple agencies.
If your content does not meet the exemption criteria to create a new website, the content should be added to vic.gov.au. Migrating existing content to vic.gov.au is a long-term project and it will be completed in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and subject matter experts.
How is information structured?
Our information architecture is made up of 3 areas:
1. Theme
Only journey content is placed under themes (topics). This is defined as follows:
- Journeys are groupings of pages. All themed content must belong to a journey.
- Life event journeys are structured and manually curated to provide the best user experience.
- Life events must have a trigger, beginning, middle and end, as well as having a proven need to reside on vic.gov.au.
Examples of life events include:
- having a baby
- buying property
- end of life.
Informal journeys can also be added here. These are flexible and can group all similar content that isn’t a life event journey.
Examples:
- Fines and infringements
- Parks and camping
- School infrastructure projects
- Information for parents about schooling
2. Type
High-volume content is added as type content. This often has an associated template that has been tested to make sure it is easy to use. Some type content is also a content collection with a search function, such as the Grants and programs search.
These include:
- policies and strategies
- individual profiles (for awards, honour rolls etc)
- grants
- campaigns
- events
- news.
If a content collection for the content type doesn’t exist yet, the most appropriate template should be used (e.g. publications template). The SDP content team should be contacted for CMS and content support.
3. Organisation
Your organisation may need a digital presence. This should include the basic details of what you do and how to get in contact with you. Some organisations publish their mandatory reporting, such as annual reports.
You can link to Theme and Type content in your organisational space but it should not live there. If Theme content is placed in an organisational space, departmental approvers are authorised to notify the organisation and move the content.
How do I add content?
Make sure it's approved to be public
Your content should be approved to be publicly available according to your department and branch processes. If you're not sure, check with your manager or digital team.
Public information should assist people to:
- understand the structure of government – an organisation can have a presence, a branch or division should not
- work with government – this could include whole of Victorian government standards, policies or strategies
- hold government to account according to legislation – this could include freedom of information, child safety policies etc
- encourage people to join the public service – this should be integrated with careers.vic.gov.au and an advertising campaign as most job seekers look on Seek or LinkedIn for work.
Some information shouldn't be publicly available.
We have the Innovation Network to reach a whole of Victorian government audience. It shares content that supports people within government to improve their work. This includes learning resources, training events, internal news and communities of practice.
If you’d like to share your content on the Innovation Network, contact innovation.network@dpc.vic.gov.au.
Adding public content
If you're adding Type or Organisation content you can self-publish your own content. If you don't already have access you can apply to create a Victorian government CMS editor account. Your departmental digital team will review and publish the content.
If you're adding Theme content, you should contact your department's digital publishing team to discuss it first. A representative from this team will flag this upcoming content with the vic.gov.au publishing roundtable. This helps us to prevent duplication and connect content across departments.
Who makes decisions on content?
Decisions are guided by SDP governance.
Your department's Digital Management Committee must authorise any new website or website development.
The vic.gov.au publishing roundtable has at least one representative from each department, and monitors the quality of digital content across government.
This includes:
- accessibility
- customer satisfaction and ease ratings
- search engine optimisation
- minimum page sessions
- form completion.
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