NSW Telco Authority was proud to support the 2025 ANZ Hackathon, with the grand finale held on Wednesday 23 July at ServiceNow’s Sydney office.
This year’s hackathon brought together innovators from across the tech industry to design practical solutions that make government services more inclusive for people across NSW. The event’s theme was the NSW Digital Inclusion Strategy, developed by NSW Telco Authority and launched in May.
The strategy provides an all-of-government framework to ensure that all people and communities can access and benefit from the digital world — regardless of location, background or circumstances.
Over several weeks, participants developed ideas to address the barriers outlined in the strategy, focusing on closing the digital divide with creative, human-centred concepts. These included AI for emergency connectivity planning, a platform linking people experiencing homelessness with nearby services, and a multilingual voice assistant that converts customer queries into service incidents.
NSW Telco Authority’s Executive Director of Customer and Emergency Management, Rania Wannous, joined the judging panel and awarded the winning teams. Her experience working with Emergency Services Organisations and government agencies across the state brought an important operational lens to the judging process.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib, delivered the keynote at the finale. In his speech, he emphasised the importance of embedding inclusion and accessibility into everything the government delivers, especially as services continue to move online.
“The goal is simple: a more inclusive, connected NSW where everyone can participate in a digital society,” Minister Dib said.
“We’re committed to making our digital services inclusive and easy to use – no matter where you live, your age, ability or background. That’s what this strategy is about and it’s why events like this hackathon are so important.”
The event highlighted the value of collaboration between government and the tech industry, and the important role innovation plays in building a more inclusive digital future for NSW. It also reinforced the role of NSW Telco Authority in helping drive all-of-government efforts to improve connectivity, strengthen emergency communications and support digital equity.