--- title: Government date: 2026-06-10T01:20:00+10:00 author: Portable canonical_url: "https://portable.com.au/work/impact-areas/government" section: Impact areas --- ![Walking by the halls of justice](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/landing/online-dispute-resolution/75485/pexels-a-1620746-37740436_385ba22d576e4c13723fa16e6bd5fb2d.jpg) Portable sees government as a force for good, with the mandate and reach to drive change other sectors can't. In 2016 we published Hacking the Bureaucracy, a guide for people working inside government to drive that change, and we've been helping agencies across Australia and the Asia Pacific put it into practice since. That includes uplifting design capability at Creative Victoria, making government land information usable for the people who need it, and taking the friction out of applying for a grant. ![Co-design capability uplift for Creative Victoria.](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/caseStudy/creativevictoria-co-design/9010/XqfXkBIAACAAKbMu_9f897b1382d56b7dbd210a479f72ecc7.png) ### Co-design capability uplift for Creative Victoria. This engagement coached 18 staff across [Creative Victoria](https://creative.vic.gov.au/) in co-design, skills they applied immediately to three real programs for the state's arts, screen and design industries, rather than sitting through training disconnected from actual work. For Creative Victoria, that meant building a capability that outlasted the engagement, not just a set of recommendations handed over at the end. [Read more about the project](https://portable.com.au/work/case-studies/creativevictoria-co-design) ### Making government land information accessible and usable. [GovMap](https://govmap.land.vic.gov.au/) gives government users, more than 1,000 of them, using the tool for 10 to 15 sessions a week, a way to find information about the 40% of Victoria's land the government owns without needing specialist expertise. That cuts the time it takes to complete a land search and lowers the barrier for communities pursuing something they care about, like a new school, public art, or green space, on government-owned land. The tool won Data Insight of the Year at the 2019 Victorian iAwards. [Read more about the project](https://portable.com.au/work/case-studies/government-land-information) ![Making government land information accessible and usable.](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/9897/418da83b-7812-4a94-87c4-7bec3361e2f4_GovMap-3_9f897b1382d56b7dbd210a479f72ecc7.jpg) ![Taking the pain out of grant applications.](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/caseStudy/ausindustry-business-grants-user-research/8238/Xk4WyRQAACYA2m7C_9f897b1382d56b7dbd210a479f72ecc7.jpg) ### Taking the pain out of grant applications. This research gave the [Department of Industry, Innovation and Science](https://www.industry.gov.au/) a detailed picture, built from 20 interviews with businesses, universities, councils and community organisations across metro and regional Australia, of exactly where people get stuck applying for a grant. The resulting journey map and list of quick wins gives future applicants clearer guidance in a process that previously offered little transparency or feedback along the way. [Read more about the project](https://portable.com.au/work/case-studies/ausindustry-business-grants-user-research) ## More projects in this space [All Government case studies](https://portable.staging.ptest.tv/work/case-studies?impactAreas=government) - ![Building trust in AI for Australia’s future thumbnail](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/caseStudy/76398/Thumbnail_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.png)### [Building trust in AI for Australia’s future](https://portable.com.au/work/case-studies/building-trust-in-ai-for-australias-future) - ![](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/article/beyond-wage-theft-enforcement/1241/afwrncBOoF08xs9W_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.png)### [We submitted to the Senate wage theft inquiry. Here's why.](https://portable.com.au/articles/beyond-wage-theft-enforcement) - ![Portable Report: Permission to Learn](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/report/permission-to-learn-public-sector-innovation/30372/aPEX155xUNkB2ESy_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.png)### [Portable Report: Permission to Learn](https://portable.com.au/reports/permission-to-learn-public-sector-innovation) - ![Let's Chat: Customising GenAI](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/event/customising-genai-webinar/22038/Zvn1drVsGrYSwHQi_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.jpg)### [Let's Chat: Customising GenAI](https://portable.com.au/events/customising-genai-webinar) - ![](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/caseStudy/national-cancer-navigation-service-design/11270/aRPy6rpReVYa4XLm_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.jpg)### [A national service for people navigating cancer](https://portable.com.au/work/case-studies/national-cancer-navigation-service-design) - ![How one cultural institution planned for scale without rebuilding from scratch](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/article/scaling-public-sector-software/3836/aR_ngWGnmrmGqGfI_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.jpg)### [How one cultural institution planned for scale without rebuilding from scratch](https://portable.com.au/articles/scaling-public-sector-software) - ![YourCase Report front](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/report/yourcase-define-access-to-justice/30484/Z0Ukna8jQArT1TC_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.png)### [Portable Report: YourCase to help victims of family violence](https://portable.com.au/reports/yourcase-define-access-to-justice) - ![Creating the Conditions for Co-Design: Signals of Change and Hope](https://portable.com.au/assets/_transforms/images/event/co-design-panel/21988/Zn0FXpbWFbowe7m4_638b64f2391dff6e364e5709b4734889.png)### [Creating the Conditions for Co-Design: Signals of Change and Hope](https://portable.com.au/events/co-design-panel) ### Create impact with us Collaboration is at the heart of all that Portable does. Let us know what you're working on and how you envision us partnering.