Almost half the new funding will go to improvements in the way Australians use government services online,including the myGov website and the My Health Record system.
While $200 million will go to the myGov site,which is the main entry point for Australians who need federal services or support,$300 million will be spent on the health records including its digital identity system.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce the digital economy spending on Thursday with a declaration the digital transformation “needs to happen” because it is under way around the world.
“We must keep our foot on the digital accelerator to secure our economic recovery from COVID-19,” he says in remarks sent to the media ahead of the announcement.
Another $100 million will be spent on skills programs such as a pilot program for cadetships and scholarships for technology graduates.
The CSIRO will receive $124 million to ramp up research in artificial intelligence at its Data 61 information technology unit.
The government will spend $111 million to speed up the use of the Consumer Data Right in sectors such as banking and energy,an idea announced in 2017 and meant to allow Australians to control the personal information gathered by big companies.