nsw.gov.au named best Drupal website in Australia and New Zealand

Powered by the open-source content management system (CMS) Drupal, nsw.gov.au has been recognised with two prestigious awards at the DrupalSouth Splash Awards.

nsw.gov.au was named the inaugural winner in the Government category and received the coveted Best in Show award. These accolades are a testament to the outstanding achievements of the NSW Government Digital Channels Team in building a customer-centric digital experience for over 8 million NSW residents.

The Drupal 9 open-source content management system(CMS) is creating a customer-centric digital experience on nsw.gov.au. The Drupal CMS has been critical in migrating or eliminating over 105 websites to date. Moreover, implementing complex editorial workflows and is used by over 395 users across 51 government agencies and local councils.

Drupal’s open-source CMS solution is flexible, customisable and collaborative.  The NSW Government Digital Channels Team is constantly optimising the Drupal platform, and to date has delivered over 356 new platform features. Open-source modules have enabled us to deliver functionality including the Grants and funding finder, personalised search enhancements and translation services.

The team has made over 100 coding contributions and supports 11 projects on drupal.org. They have also assisted in porting various Drupal 8 contributed modules to Drupal 9, and Drupal 9 modules to Drupal 10.

The awards were facilitated by DrupalSouth Wellington, the regional Drupal conference for Australia and New Zealand, and judged by an independent panel of experts. Land Information New Zealand was named runner-up, with Mentally Healthy Workplaces and Access Hub rounding out the finalists.

“It is truly an honour and a privilege for us at the Department of Customer Service Digital Channels to win these awards. We are very excited that the Drupal community has recognised our contributions and commitment to the NSW audience and to the open-source community of Drupal. ”

Indu Neelakandan, Director Technology & Operations

The Best in Show recognition demonstrates the positive impact of nsw.gov.au:

1. Serving the People of NSW: nsw.gov.au serves as a vital connection between the state government and over 8 million residents of NSW. Leveraging Drupal 9 and various contributed modules, our platform has become a best-in-class example of Drupal's open-source software, providing a seamless digital experience to the people of NSW.
2. Critical Information in times of need: During crises such as the NSW floods or the COVID-19 pandemic, nsw.gov.au has proven to be a trusted and reliable source for critical information. The Drupal platform and its integrations have enabled us to swiftly publish updates and keep the community well-informed during these challenging times.
3. Empowering agencies and staff: nsw.gov.au not only benefits the people of NSW as a single source of truth but also empowers the agencies migrating their website content. Through the OneCX Program, staff members across government have received Drupal training, enhancing their digital capabilities.
4. Contributions to Drupal community:  The NSW Government Digital Channels Team responsible for nsw.gov.au has actively contributed to the Drupal community. The in-house technology team has resolved issues and supported projects on the open-source platform, driving improvements and making valuable contributions to the Drupal ecosystem.
5. Delivering government policy outcomes: nsw.gov.au is delivering better policy outcomes by enhancing the way customers access content across government.
6. Creating efficiencies: nsw.gov.au is making government more efficient by reducing the need for agencies to create new websites from scratch or maintain multiple website platforms.

These wins are a recognition of the value that nsw.gov.au is delivering to the people of NSW.