ACT Digital Futures: A New Track for the Capital’s Next Chapter of Digital Government

A dedicated ACT Digital Futures track has been added to Government Innovation Showcase Federal 2026, taking place in Canberra on Thursday, 22 October.

Overview page | Agenda page | Registration page

Built for ACT Government employees, the new track will focus on how digital, data and AI can help create a more connected, inclusive and intelligent capital city.

It comes at an important time. Across the ACT Public Service, teams are working through many of the same pressures facing governments everywhere: rising expectations for simpler services, growing demand for trusted data, rapid advances in AI, and the need to modernise without losing public confidence.

The ACT Digital Futures track brings those questions into one focused program.

Aligned with the ACT Digital Strategy, sessions will explore how agencies are modernising service delivery, strengthening trusted data foundations, building AI capability and developing operating models that can keep pace with change.

Who the track is for

The track is designed for ACT Government leaders and teams working across:

• digital transformation
• ICT and technology
• data and AI
• strategy and policy
• customer experience
• service delivery
• innovation and reform

Whether attendees are shaping strategy, delivering services or building the systems behind them, the focus will remain practical: what is already changing, where agencies are making progress and what it will take to create lasting public value.

What ACT Government attendees can expect

The track will open with a discussion on the future of digital government in the ACT, followed by sessions exploring how strategy, trusted data, responsible AI and new partnerships are shaping the next generation of services.

The program includes a fireside chat with Christina Igasto, Director-General, Digital Canberra, ACT Government, focused on turning strategy into practical impact for communities, government and industry.

Key themes across the ACT track will include:

• delivering more seamless and community-centred services
• building trust through data, accessibility and digital inclusion
• developing responsible AI capability across government
• strengthening collaboration across agencies and jurisdictions
• creating future-ready operating models
• using digital innovation to improve public and community outcomes

The emphasis is not simply on introducing more technology. It is on making sure digital investment leads to services that feel easier to use, decisions that are better informed and government that works more effectively across organisational boundaries.

Access to the wider Federal program

ACT Government attendees will not be limited to the dedicated track. They will also be able to move between sessions across the broader Government Innovation Showcase Federal program, which includes three additional tracks:

1. Digital Services, CX and AI Innovation
   Explore how agencies are using human-centred design, digital tools and AI to create more accessible, personalised and connected services.
2. Technology, Data and AI Integration
   Hear how government teams are modernising systems, strengthening interoperability and building the data and technology foundations needed for responsible AI at scale.
3. AI-Enhanced Productivity
   See how agencies are applying AI and automation to improve workflows, support decision-making and free up workforce capacity for higher-value work.

The broader program also includes a ministerial address, government keynotes, executive panels and practical case studies from across the APS.

That gives ACT attendees the chance to hear directly from Federal Government peers while still engaging with sessions designed specifically around the priorities of the capital.

One day, a broader view of digital government

The addition of ACT Digital Futures gives the Showcase a stronger local dimension.

It creates space for ACT Government teams to discuss the issues closest to their own work, while also learning from the wider Federal program on AI adoption, digital service reform, workforce capability, productivity and technology integration.

For public servants working across the ACT, the day offers an opportunity to compare approaches, build new connections and take practical ideas back into their agencies.

Government Innovation Showcase Federal 2026 takes place on Thursday, 22 October 2026 at the National Convention Centre Canberra. Registration is complimentary for government attendees.

Overview page | Agenda page | Registration page