Thirty-eight systems.
One national standard.
Delivered locally.
S38 is One Australia's policy foundation for the services Australians rely on every day — from ambulances and teacher registration to titles, food safety and elections. Each system sets one national framework, keeps decisions regional and keeps delivery local.
Source: One Australia — Integrated 38-System National Transformation, Rollout and Financial Assessment. Latest edition adds the debt reduction and political representation chapters.
- numbered systems
- 38
- numbered systems
- policy groups
- 6
- policy groups
- with an illustrative gross scenario
- 11
- with an illustrative gross scenario
- year staged program
- 30
- year staged program
01
One framework
National law sets consistent rights, technical standards, registers and interoperability, so a licence, record or credential works everywhere.
02
Regional decisions
Regional administrations plan services, set local priorities and run accessible service offices close to the people they serve.
03
Local frontline
Paramedics, teachers, inspectors, caseworkers and counter staff stay where the work is. Fewer duplicated back offices, not fewer frontline services.
Find a system.
Search by service, reform, safeguard or cost driver. Every system has its own server-rendered public register showing its proposed stage, prerequisites, next decision gate and evidence still to publish—alongside safeguards and financial status.
Showing 38 of 38 systems
Police
Unified regional commands, shared intelligence and specialist mobilisation.
Healthcare
Connected hospital networks, interoperable referrals and coordinated workforce planning.
Aged Care
Align aged care access with hospitals, discharge and community supports.
Fire and Emergency
Common mobilisation protocols and compatible disaster communications.
Education and Teachers
National education administration with a dedicated teacher registration and workforce authority.
Childcare
Common provider administration, educator recognition and safeguarding information.
Ambulance
Interoperable dispatch, clinical standards and workforce recognition.
Justice and Corrections
Integrate court support, secure case exchange and corrections procurement.
Public Transport
Compatible ticketing, service data and coordinated network investment.
Roads and Infrastructure
Common project appraisal, procurement and asset inventories.
Housing and Planning
Compatible approvals and planning data with regional land-use decisions.
Disability Services
Integrated disability referrals with health, education and housing.
Child Protection
Secure national case transfer and consistent safeguarding administration.
Water and Energy
National infrastructure resilience and compatible utility administration.
Vocational Education
Portable credentials, common recognition and skills demand coordination.
Public Sector Employment
Compatible recruitment, hr, payroll and workforce mobility.
Digital Government
Secure interoperable digital identity and government service platforms.
Environmental Protection
Shared monitoring, assessment administration and enforcement information.
Consumer Protection
Common complaint intake and coordinated regulatory information.
Fuel Security, Domestic Refining and Energy Independence
Establish a National Petroleum Development Program integrating Australian oil field development, refining capacity, domestic supply security and long-term fuel independence, alongside fuel contingency planning and regional emergency logistics.
Driver Licensing
One licensing authority, portable licence and national credential record.
Work Health and Safety
One national whs law and regulator with regional inspectorates.
Business Registration and Licensing
One entry point for business permits and approvals.
Trades and Professional Licensing
Portable occupational licences with a national standards register.
Workers Compensation
Evaluate a national compensation and return-to-work framework.
Payroll Tax and Business Levies
Evaluate nationally consistent payroll and levy arrangements.
Property Titles and Land Registration
Interoperable land title records and digital conveyancing.
Vehicle Registration
One registration authority and national vehicle records.
Building and Construction Regulation
Common construction approvals, standards and contractor recognition.
Food Safety Regulation
Consistent food premises registration and inspection administration.
Emergency Communications
Interoperable emergency dispatch and communications.
Public Records and Information Management
Common records retention and secure exchange standards.
Biosecurity and Animal Welfare
Coordinate biosecurity response and animal welfare administration.
Electoral Administration
Evaluate unified national and regional election administration.
Civil Registration
Interoperable births, deaths, marriages and name-change registers.
Procurement and Government Assets
National purchasing frameworks and transparent asset registers.
Liquor Licensing and Hospitality Credentials
One liquor licence framework and nationally portable rsa and hospitality credentials.
Service and Youth Development
12-month service for eligible 18-20 year olds with approved civilian and optional defence pathways.
How the library is organised.
Safety & Justice
5 systems
Police, fire, ambulance, courts and corrections working to compatible protocols, so help can cross a border as quickly as an emergency does.
Regional role: Local incident command, community policing and regional coverage remain where emergencies happen.
Health & Care
5 systems
Hospitals, aged care, disability, childcare and child protection connected around the person, not around the jurisdiction that funds them.
Regional role: Regional care networks plan for local need; clinicians, carers and caseworkers keep professional independence.
Learning & Work
7 systems
Portable registration, credentials and workplace protections that follow teachers, tradespeople and workers wherever they live.
Regional role: Schools, training providers and regional employment offices stay accountable to the communities they serve.
Places & Resilience
8 systems
Transport, roads, housing, water, energy, environment and fuel planned as national networks with regional land-use and route decisions.
Regional role: Communities keep a direct say over local routes, planning decisions and environmental consultation.
Business & Everyday Life
8 systems
One set of rules for registering, licensing and complying, whether you run a cafe, sell a car, renovate a house or transfer a title.
Regional role: Inspection, local advice and enforcement remain present in regional centres and towns.
Government & Democracy
5 systems
Public employment, records, procurement, civil registration and elections administered once, independently and transparently.
Regional role: Regional offices give people face-to-face access to identity, records and electoral services.
Six conditions that apply to every system.
P1
Democratic authority
Legally assess and obtain constitutional, referendum and any applicable state-consent approvals before institutional abolition or irreversible transfers.
P2
National standards, regional delivery
Set consistent rights and technical standards nationally, with regional decision-making, accessible service offices and local frontline delivery.
P3
Independent institutions
Protect courts, electoral bodies, integrity agencies, regulators and police oversight from partisan direction.
P4
Uninterrupted public services
Protect emergency services, benefits, licensing, schools and healthcare throughout migration. Dual-running is a cost to plan for, not a reason to put continuity at risk.
P5
Financial integrity
Report cashable savings, noncash efficiencies, transition spending, new operating costs and service outcomes separately. No government-wide net savings claim is established.
P6
Participation and equity
Protect accessibility, remote communities, First Nations interests, worker rights, privacy, independent complaints and review.
Five stages, each with a gate.
Nothing moves to the next stage on a timetable alone. Each gate requires lawful authority, published evaluation or audited thresholds.
Full roadmapYears 1–2
Federal mandate, evidence and public baseline
Only if elected to federal government: honour the electoral commitments and publish an independently reviewable national baseline of laws, powers, staff, budgets, assets, IT, contracts and service outcomes. Consult states, territories, councils, workers, service users and affected communities.
Gate · Verify evidence, publish lawful options and their costs, and report publicly before design or transfer decisions.
Years 3–5
Design and evaluate practical pilots
Translate the program into costed legislative and service-design options. Develop shared standards and interoperability with the governments concerned; begin voluntary pilots only where authorised.
Gate · Publish independent evaluations, safety and equity assessments, legal advice and transition costs before any wider change.
Years 6–10
Legally authorised migration
Sequence approved transfers, operate systems in parallel, protect workforce rights, migrate records and establish regional delivery offices.
Gate · Proceed only when service continuity and audited cost thresholds are met.
Years 11–20
Reinvest verified capacity
Retire only demonstrably redundant systems, strengthen regional delivery and reinvest capacity shown to be available.
Gate · Publish annual service outcomes and net fiscal reports.
Years 21–30
Renew, review and adapt
Renew technology, respond to demographics and undertake periodic statutory reviews.
Gate · Retain or revise each system on the basis of independently evaluated outcomes.
Eleven scenarios. Twenty-seven open questions.
Eleven systems carry an inherited illustrative gross scenario totalling $6.2625bn a year at maturity, reaching $38.51bn over 10 years, $101.14bn over 20 years, $163.76bn over 30 years on the stated ramp, before any costs. These are not promised fiscal dividends. The other 27 have no validated savings estimate, and no verified net figure exists for the program.
- proposed systems
- 38
- preliminary illustrative gross scenarios
- 11
- uncosted
- 27
- verified net impact not available
- N/A
Gross scenario, not a net or guaranteed benefit. Figures are inherited modelling assumptions in constant dollars. Transition costs, new operating responsibilities, National Service costs, inflation and discounting are excluded. No government-wide net saving is established.
Preliminary illustrative gross scenario, mature annual, by system — not net, not verified
- S02 Healthcare$2,320.5m
- S05 Education and Teachers$1,365.0m
- S12 Disability Services$766.5m
- S03 Aged Care$597.0m
- S06 Childcare$306.0m
- S01 Police$256.5m
- S13 Child Protection$169.5m
- S08 Justice and Corrections$141.0m
- S15 Vocational Education$133.5m
- S04 Fire and Emergency$111.0m
- S07 Ambulance$96.0m
- Illustrative gross
- Modelled potential before costs; not realised or independently audited savings.
- Uncosted
- No defensible savings amount is available.
- Purchaser saving
- A reduction in customer bills that may be offset elsewhere; not automatically a net national gain.
- Program cost
- New expenditure that must be reported separately from efficiency claims.
- Verified net — not available
- Independently audited realised cash savings less all incremental recurring and transition costs. No verified whole-program net amount exists.
Model limitations
- Only 11 systems have inherited illustrative gross-savings amounts; the other 27 have no validated savings estimate.
- The scenario assumes 10% of expenditure is addressable and 15% of that amount is saved: a mature gross saving of 1.5% of the assumed baseline.
- Amounts are constant-dollar scenario values. Inflation, discounting and financing effects are excluded.
- Some expenditure categories may overlap. Baselines and intergovernmental transfers must be reconciled before aggregation.
- Full transition costs, new operating responsibilities and National Service costs are not included in the gross-savings total.
Not yet costed
- State institutional closure and constitutional/legal work
- Workforce transfer, redeployment, pensions and industrial obligations
- Property, debt, contracts and stranded liabilities
- Cybersecurity, IT replacement, data migration and dual-running
- Litigation, regional service expansion and new national authorities
- National Service establishment, recurring costs and economic opportunity costs
Where the baselines must come from.
These official bodies are the starting points for the legal, statistical and audit work S38 requires. Listing them does not mean they endorse the policy.
- Australian ConstitutionConstitutional amendment, referendum and consent requirements
- Australian Electoral CommissionDemocratic and referendum processes
- Australian Bureau of StatisticsGovernment finance, population, workforce and service baselines
- Productivity CommissionReport on Government Services and sector performance
- Safe Work AustraliaWork health and safety laws and arrangements
- AITSLTeacher standards and registration frameworks
- Department of InfrastructureTransport and licensing policy
- Department of DefenceDefence-related service arrangements
- Australian National Audit OfficeIndependent public-sector audit methodology
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