Biometric ID Program To Expand Across State Lines
Biometric ID Program To Expand – Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency has handed the $A600 million digital biometric ID program to the Department of Finance as part of a national expansion of the program across government and into the private sector.
Digital identity emerged from the Digital Transformation Office in 2015 as part of push to “ensure people no longer have to complete separate log on processes for each government service”.
18 months ago, the program was put on hold while the Federal Government began work on legislation around digital identity likely to be revealed later in the year.
Biometric ID Program To Expand Nationally
The DTA had been consulting widely on trusted digital IDs but the switch of responsibility and the reduction of funding to DTA suggests planning is largely complete and the focus has shifted to application.
Regardless, the legislation will significantly expand the digital ID scheme across government and into the private sector, and will involve legislating privacy and consumer protections, establishing permanent governance arrangements, and applying a system of regulation.
In June a new National Strategy for Identity Resilience was announced that will see biometric digital identity credentials applied across state boundaries.
The Federal Government is considering additional reforms to statutory declarations and deeds that will allow Australians to use their digital identity to witness documents online without needing to find a JP.
It’s not certain how the program might impact on access control authentication ID requirements across government, or how the program will intersect with the private sector.
What’s clear is that the program will offer increased security levels, as well as significant cost savings. The program also provides a template for wider application of biometric authentication technology in the future.
You can find out more about the National Strategy For Digital Resilience here, Australia’s trusted digital identity framework here, or read more SEN news here.
“Digital ID Program To Expand Across State Lines.”
