The Albanese government has commenced a consultation on the exposure draft of the proposed Digital ID legislation and Digital ID Rules – a move welcomed by big bank NAB as an important milestone in advancing the Australian digital identity ecosystem.
The Digital ID Bill aims to strongly regulate accredited digital ID providers to make sure they keep customers’ information private and secure, when they create and reuse a digital ID to access online services. It will also expand the Australian government’s digital ID system to include private-sector organisations that choose to participate.
Katy Gallagher, minister for Finance, explained what a digital ID is all about.
Digital ID is “simply the digital version of the act of someone looking at you, looking at your picture on your licence, and being able to verify that you are who you say you are,” Gallagher said in a speech to the Australian Information Industry Association Luncheon.
“Importantly, Digital ID is not a card, it’s not a unique number, nor a new form of ID. It’s just an easy way of verifying who you are online, against existing government-held identity documents without having to hand over any physical information.”
Brad Carr (pictured above), NAB executive digital governance, said the government move will help to protect customers from the ever-evolving threats of cybercrime and provide them greater convenience when verifying their identity online, “giving them full control in what they share, how they share it, and with whom.
“The over-sharing and over-collection of personal identity data, such as copies of passports and driver’s licenses, is feeding opportunities for identity theft, impersonation, and social engineering,” Carr said. “It is crucial that we all – in collaboration with government and industry – step forward to help stem that flow.”
In a media release, the NAB executive said that to ensure successful adoption, it’s vital that Australians have a choice of identity providers for greater access and convenience, whether that’s myGovID, a state Services app, a bank, or another verifier they trust.”
“We welcome the government’s vision of an interoperable ecosystem with public and private sector providers, and offering this choice will be crucial in supporting Australians,” Carr said.
“We encourage the government to ensure choice is brought sooner and enable the use of private sector digital ID solutions to support interoperability from the outset, so that we can collectively bring the privacy and security benefits to Australians as early as possible.”
The three-week consultation period is open until Oct. 31.
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