The State Government has formally committed to digitising all of its paperwork and processes.

Jay Weatherill signed the “Digital by Default Declaration” yesterday, which commits the government to making all paperwork available to members of the public using smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.

It follows Weatherill’s Open Data Declaration last year.

The declaration also commits all government departments to building new services around digital technologies, training staff to be competent with the latest technologies and moving all paper-based processes onto the computer screen.

Public Sector Minister Susan Close said government services were moving into the digital age in line with increasing public expectations that it keep up with technology.

“Smart phones and tablets have created an expectation of immediacy and convenience and South Australia’s government services need to adapt to keep pace with these innovations,” she said.

“Tech-savvy South Australians want to be able to interact online at any time and at any place.

“The Government’s use of the Internet should not be limited to providing information through web portals, but rather ensure greater interaction and service delivery.”

Close said the government would continue to cater for those without access to digital services.

“Even as we make the shift to Digital by Default, consideration will always be given to the particular needs of those who aren’t able to benefit from the latest digital technology,” she said.

A spokesperson for Close said paper processes in areas such as business registration and licencing were among the services to be digitised.

The government has not modelled the savings or costs implied by the transition, but according to a 2012 Digital Efficiency Report from the United Kingdom: “for some government services, the average cost of a digital transaction is almost 20 times lower than the cost of a telephone transaction, about 30 times lower than the cost of postal transaction and about 50 times lower than a face-to-face transaction”.

The report also said digitisation was likely to reduce the risk of failed transactions, and therefore the business cost of having to go through the same process multiple times.

The government cites the development of online services such as eTenders, EzyReg, eNotice and the AdelaideMetro app as evidence of its moves to digitise services.

More than 24,000 people now choose to pay their vehicle registration renewals by direct debit each year in South Australia.

More than 1,200 state government employees across 25 agencies now use e-Procurement to purchase around 500 orders and process 3,500 invoices each day.

The government will now consult with businesses, the public sector and the community to select the government services and processes most ripe for digitisation.