A practical, fair assessment for government digital leaders

GovCMS has played a significant role in lifting the standard of government digital delivery in Australia. It provides a secure, centrally managed Drupal platform with strong guardrails around accessibility, maintenance, and hosting — ideal for many government web needs.

However, as digital expectations evolve, there are clear scenarios where GovCMS is the best fit, and others where a flexible, modern Drupal environment on secure cloud infrastructure, Upsun, offers better long-term value and capability.

This article offers a fair and practical guide to choosing the right path.

When GovCMS is a great fit

GovCMS is ideally suited to:

• Publishing-focused government websites - Where the priority is structured content, accessibility, governance and stability.
• Teams wanting built-in security and compliance - GovCMS provides a compliant and centrally patched environment.
• Agencies seeking a low-maintenance platform - No internal hosting, infrastructure, or DevOps overhead. (However, for many organisations, secure managed cloud hosting options such as Upsun can deliver similar low-touch operations at a lower cost with greater flexibility.)
• Websites with limited custom functionality - Where the roadmap does not require heavy integration or application-like features.
• Whole-of-government consistency - Useful where a common model supports governance and assurance.

Examples of successful GovCMS projects

Digital Garden has successfully delivered multiple GovCMS sites where content, clarity and accessibility are key:

• NABERS website and tools - Content-rich sustainability program website and tools, prioritising accessibility and clear publishing - nabers.gov.au 
• AUSTRAC website - Clear information architecture and compliance-focused content delivery - austrac.gov.au
• Veteran Employment Program (DVA) website - Resource hub enabling veterans to access employment pathways and employer support - veteransemployment.gov.au

These websites demonstrate where GovCMS shines - secure content governance, clear publishing workflows, and consistent government standards.

When GovCMS may not be the right choice

Some government platforms now require greater flexibility, deeper technical integration, or product-like features that exceed the constraints of GovCMS SaaS.

Consider an alternative approach when:

• You need advanced integrations or data workflows - Custom APIs, CRM links, or structured research data platforms.
• You need full design and UX flexibility - Component libraries, experimentation, or evolving design systems.
• You are building a digital product, not just a website - User dashboards, workflow systems, notifications, data models.
• You operate multiple sites with shared governance - Multisite architecture can deliver efficiency and cost savings.
• You need rapid innovation - Adoption of new tools, AI-driven accessibility, or modern front-end frameworks.

Examples where Drupal on Upsun was the right choice

Digital Garden has also delivered government platforms requiring deeper flexibility and capability:

• National Library of Australia website - Initially assessed for GovCMS, but the Library required full design flexibility, deep integrations (Catalogue, Trove, Bookshop) and a scalable design system,  delivered on Drupal 10 with Platform.sh to support complex UX, accessibility and future growth.  Winner of the best Government website for the Australian Web Award & Good Design Awards - nla.gov.au  
• Australian War Memorial transcription tool - A highly interactive digital product featuring transcription tools, custom UI components, gamification, user dashboards, real-time contribution states and accessibility-first design, the kind of advanced product experience that is not suited to GovCMS’ SaaS constraints - transcribe.awm.gov.au
• AFMA & PZJA multisite - A shared Drupal multisite environment for two agencies, reducing cost and duplicative maintenance - afma.gov.au &  pza.gov.au 

These projects illustrate where innovation, integration and future scalability outperform the constraints of a highly controlled SaaS environment.

Choosing the right path

The goal is not to choose GovCMS or Drupal — it's to choose the right model for your digital maturity and roadmap.

GovCMS remains a strong, stable choice for communication-focused government websites. 

For agencies delivering digital services, applications, data platforms or multisite environments, a secure, modern Drupal cloud implementation offers greater flexibility and long-term value.

Want help deciding?

Digital Garden works across both models — we don’t sell a platform, we recommend what’s right for the problem.

Whether you’re exploring GovCMS or evaluating a more flexible Drupal approach, we're always happy to provide frank advice grounded in delivery experience across federal, state and local government.