Using the Government Service Portal in Public Sector Digital Services

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Using the Government Service Portal in Public Sector Digital Services

    The Government Service Portal provides constituents and businesses with a centralized platform to report issues, track service requests, and access public records. It features a customizable interface, allowing agencies to tailor the portal’s home page for both registered and unregistered users, enhancing user experience and accessibility.

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    Key Features

    • Home Page Experience: Offers distinct views for registered users and unregistered users, including communication options like browsing services, tracking cases, and reporting issues.
    • Knowledge Base: Access to top-rated articles and resources for self-service support.
    • Service Catalog: Users can search and request services, including public maintenance tasks.
    • Case Management: Users can view submitted cases, notifications, and service histories.
    • Live Chat: Engage with virtual agents or government service agents for assistance.
    • Engagement Messenger: Submit requests from third-party applications external to ServiceNow.

    Key Outcomes

    By using the Government Service Portal, constituents can efficiently manage their interactions with government services, stay informed about public records, and receive timely assistance. Businesses benefit from additional permissions to manage licenses and permits, improving their operational efficiency in dealing with public services. Overall, the portal streamlines communication and access to essential government services.

    By using the Government Service Portal, constituents and businesses can report issues, access and view the status of existing service requests, and request public records. You can also search for information about a question or issue, view and update their contact information, and request assistance from a government service agent— all within a customizable interface.

    Using the Government Service Portal as a constituent

    The Government Service Portal experience begins on the portal home page for constituents. Agencies usually customize their home pages to be viewed by registered users, and users who aren't registered. For example, registered users may see different information on the home page than the users who aren’t logged in.

    This example shows an example default home page for a registered user of the Public Sector Digital Services Government Service Portal.
    Figure 1. Government Service Portal default home page (Constituent view)
    Different interaction options on the Constituent view. For more information, refer to the text that follows.

    Constituents on the Government Service default home page can select the following communication options:

    1. Browse and request services or information, track cases, view received services, and report issues.
    2. Get the latest information on policies and programs by searching and viewing articles.
    3. Discuss issues with neighbors and share perspectives by asking the community.
    4. View your recent services and see the popular services on the site.
    Note:
    Administrators can customize Government Service Portal home pages in Service Portal, so home pages may differ visually across government agencies. For more information on customization, see Customize the Government Service Portal.

    The following table lists what constituents can access through the home page.

    Table 1. Government Service Portal home page for registered constituents
    UI component Description
    Knowledge Access the Knowledge home page and search or view a list of the top-rated or most viewed knowledge base articles.
    Services Find all available services in the catalog. They can search through the service catalog or view a list of the recently used or most popular catalog items.
    Your Cases Find all cases submitted under the constituent name.
    Your Information Access quick links to view, update, or add personal information:
    • Businesses (agent experience only)
    • Contacts (agent experience only)
    • Publications
    Notifications See notifications for resolved cases, cases awaiting information, publications, and approvals.
    Tours View additional guidance on how the Public Sector Digital Services application works. An administrator determines whether tours appear on pages.
    Live Chat Chat with a virtual agent or a government service agent. For more information on using Virtual Agent to get help, see Get help with Public Service requests using Virtual Agent.
    Engagement Messenger Use Engagement Messenger to submit service requests from a third-party web application outside of the ServiceNow environment. For more information, see Configure Engagement Messenger for Playbooks.
    Profile menu Access a profile photo, view the profile, or log out.
    Search Search the portal by either entering a keyword to use type-ahead search, or enter one or more words to view all search results.
    Most viewed articles View a list of the most viewed articles.
    Featured articles View featured community content.
    Most useful articles View the most useful knowledge articles by the usage count of the articles.
    Unregistered constituents can do the following tasks in the Government Service Portal:
    • Register as a new user, create a login, and create a user profile.
    • Search for information, browse knowledge articles, and engage with the community.
    • Get help using Virtual Agent.
    • Request services such as street repair, trash removal, building inspections, and other public maintenance.
    • Request information and public records from local, state, and federal public agencies.
    After registering and logging in to the Government Service Portal, constituents can:
    • View the services that they received.
    • View information records that they requested.
    • View all license or permit requests.
    • View constituent profiles (includes household information, such as names, addresses, and other constituent information).
    • View existing cases.
    • View publications and notifications including government pamphlets and newsletters about services as well as government notifications.

    For more information on the services that are offered in the Government Service Portal service catalog, see Government Service Portal service catalog.

    Using the Government Service Portal as a business

    The Government Service Portal enables businesses to access their cases and service information as well as report issues. Business or business contacts can use the Government Service Portal to view their submitted cases, and raise requests by using the service request catalog.

    Business contacts have the same functionality as a constituent user, with a few additional permissions. In addition to the constituent user tasks, business contacts can do the following tasks in the Government Service Portal:
    • Register a new business.
    • Request services that are related to licenses, benefits, permits, and service requests.
    • View the services that they received.
    • View information records that they requested.
    • View all license or permit requests.
    • View items that they received.
    • View their existing cases.
    • View business and child business profiles.
    • View business contact information such as names, addresses, and other contact information.
    • View publications, such as government pamphlets and newsletters about services.
    • View notifications such as government notifications and new contact approvals.

    Customizing the Government Service Portal

    To customize this portal, navigate to Service Portal > Portals and select Government Service. See Service Portal for more information about creating a custom interface.