Article by Victor Dominello: “Every form tells a story. It reveals how government sees itself, how it interacts with people, and who really holds the power.
When you fill out a form on paper, online, or through an app, you’re not just providing information. You’re entering a contract of trust. You’re revealing how much the system values your time, your data, and your dignity.
Forms are not paperwork. They’re the DNA of government. They show who controls the data. They show how much friction citizens face in accessing basic services. And as forms have evolved, so too has government, from paper-based bureaucracy to intelligent, anticipatory systems.
Government 0.0: The paper-form era
Before 1990, everything started with paper. Licences, registrations, applications: all handwritten, stamped, and filed away.
In my early years as a lawyer, I remember attending property settlements with clients clutching paper certificates of title and mortgage documents. They waited their turn in long queues at government offices. Every transaction required physical signatures, physical stamps, and physical handovers…Now we stand on the threshold of Government 4.0: the form-less age.
This is the era of mainstream AI agents. Intelligent systems that talk to each other, share verified data securely, and act on our behalf.
In this world, humans never see a form.
A birth automatically triggers relevant services. A job loss activates training and income support. A licence renewal happens invisibly in the background.
Forward-looking nations are already designing for this future. They’re building systems where services become proactive and anticipatory…(More)”.
