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Why GovCMS

GovCMS is an open-source web content management system hosted on the public cloud. Our goal is to help you deliver and maintain secure, modern and user-friendly websites. GovCMS is community-based, trust us when we say we are community focused. 

Why GovCMS?

This script was written by the GovCMS team and is spoken by an AI avatar using text-to-speech technology.

GovCMS is a whole-of-government web hosting service and content management system, also known as CMS for short. It was created by government, for government, and is managed by the Department of Finance.

It hosts over 370 websites for more than 115 agencies across all levels of government in Australia.

GovCMS provides many benefits.

It is:

  • Reliable
  • Affordable
  • Flexible
  • Well-supported
  • Secure
  • Accessible
  • and Built on an open-source platform

By joining GovCMS, you also become part of a thriving community. Let's take a look at these benefits in more detail.

GovCMS is reliable. It's an Australian-based service with an uptime of 99.95%. We experienced zero down time during the COVID-19 crisis.

The platform is also affordable. It saves your agency time, and money. As part of the Australian government, we are well placed to understand the needs of our customers and tailor the contracts, service, security and technology to your needs. This saves you time and effort. And having a shared-service web platform delivers an economy of scale for users.

GovCMS is flexible and meets the needs for a variety of sites. Whether your site is a smaller, information-based website or a large site with more complex features, we scale to meet your needs.

The platform is well-supported. It's continuously monitored, has a training program, self-help knowledge base and 24/7 support.

GovCMS is secure. The platform has official sensitive classification, and so can store and process information up to the security level of OFFICIAL:Sensitive. Websites are secure and compliant with government standards.

The GovCMS platform is set up to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 out-of-the-box. Individual agencies need to ensure their website continue to meet accessibility standards.

GovCMS is built on Drupal, which is open source software. Drupal is used by over a million websites globally with a large community of developers, designers, and other contributors.

We also have a strong and growing community where you can access, contribute, and share ideas to create a better digital experience.

GovCMS combines technology such as Lagoon, Kubernetes, Docker and GitLab.

As a whole-of-government platform, GovCMS also helps government consolidate digital experiences and reduce costs. Contact us to find out how you can benefit.

Secure and affordable website management with GovCMS

Looking for a secure, scalable, and cost-effective way to manage your organisation’s website? GovCMS is a whole-of-government web hosting platform built by government, for government.

Whether you're launching a new site or managing several, GovCMS has you covered. We provide the tools and support to help you deliver accessible and reliable services.

What is GovCMS?

GovCMS is a content management and web hosting platform for Australian government agencies. It’s a cost-recovered service, managed by the Department of Finance. It is built on Drupal, an open-source CMS trusted by over a million websites worldwide.

With GovCMS, you can:

  • Easily create and update web content without needing an in-house development team
  • Host your site on a secure, scalable platform that adjusts to your traffic needs
  • Focus on service delivery, while we handle the technical infrastructure

Content Management System (CMS)

A CMS simplifies how you create, manage, and publish digital content. GovCMS, built on Drupal, is tailored to government needs with:

  • A flexible, modern front end
  • Efficient editing tools
  • Seamless updates to keep your content accurate and current

You get all the power of Drupal—plus support from the GovCMS team and community.

Learn more about Drupal at Drupal.org(Opens in a new tab/window)

Web hosting with GovCMS

To make your site available online, you need reliable web hosting. GovCMS provides:

  • Infrastructure to store and serve your content (code, files, images, etc.)
  • Scalable cloud-based hosting that automatically adjusts during traffic spikes
  • A secure project space for your developers to manage code and configurations

Whether your traffic surges or slows, your website stays fast, available, and cost-effective.

Choose your hosting model

GovCMS offers two hosting options to suit different agency needs:

1. Software as a Service (SaaS)

Ideal for agencies that want an all-in-one solution. We manage:

SaaS hosting is perfect for agencies without in-house development teams. It’s secure, reliable, and low maintenance.

2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Best for agencies with development capabilities that need more control. With PaaS, you get:

  • More flexibility to customise your site
  • Responsibility for software maintenance and security patching

Agencies choosing PaaS need their own team or external provider to manage technical aspects.

Both models benefit from economies of scale, as GovCMS serves over 100 agencies. Our smallest website receives the same high level of support and security as the largest one.

Explore our pricing plans(Opens in a new tab/window)

Why choose GovCMS?

Join a trusted platform that hosts over 300 websites across all levels of Australian government. When you choose GovCMS, you gain:

  • Reliability – 99.95% uptime, with no downtime during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Affordability – Cost-effective pricing that saves time and money
  • Flexibility – Scalable hosting that grows with your needs
  • Support – 24/7 assistance and monitoring
  • Security – Built-in cybersecurity aligned with government standards
  • Accessibility – Meets WCAG 2.1 accessibility requirements
  • Best Practice – Aligned with the Digital Service Standard
  • Community – A strong network of peers for collaboration and learning
  • Open Source – Built on globally supported open source technology
  • Innovation – Continuously improving to meet evolving digital needs

See examples of GovCMS websites(Opens in a new tab/window)

Built for Government

GovCMS supports compliance with key government policies and strategies, including:

GovCMS helps agencies:

  • Avoid investing in separate digital experience platforms
  • Consolidate hosting and publishing solutions
  • Meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility requirements

Kick things off with confidence

From new builds to improvements, we're here with the tools and support you need to succeed.

Ready to Get Started? Let’s talk.
 Contact us(Opens in a new tab/window) to request a meeting

 

 

Make the move to GovCMS

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