Disclosure Statement: Durand Financial Services Pty Ltd and its advisers are authorised representatives of Fortnum Private Wealth Ltd ABN 54 139 889 535 AFSL 357306. General Advice Warning: The information contained within this website does not consider your personal circumstances and is of a general nature only. You should not act on it without first obtaining professional financial advice specific to your circumstances.
A single digital ID will make it easier for Australians to verify their identity online and reduce the risk of privacy breaches, a minister says, as new laws clear a major hurdle.
Legislation to set up a digital ID scheme passed the Senate on Wednesday and will head to the government-controlled lower house to be rubber stamped before it becomes law.
People who sign up for the scheme will not need to repeatedly share their passport, birth certificate and driverâs licence online.
The legislation builds on the governmentâs digital ID system, myGovID, that more than 10.5 million Australians have signed up to access more than 130 government services.
The expansion will include state and territory government services, and the private sector.
There are also transparency requirements for law enforcement officers who access new digital IDs and data protection measures.
Private businesses will also be able to apply to use the digital ID system within two years of it starting, deactivated accounts wonât be used or reactivated without consent and data retention will be restricted.
Law enforcement agencies and the minister in charge of the Australian Federal Police must report annually on any disclosure or access of personal information.
A digital ID scheme would be more convenient and ensure less data is stored across different sites, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said, pointing to concerns raised by data breaches at Optus and Medibank.
âAustralians will be sharing less personal information, which is held by fewer organisations, that are subject to stronger regulation, reducing the chance of identity theft online,â she said.
The coalition voted against the bill after it failed to amend it to more expressly outline Australians werenât required to have a digital ID and they wouldnât face a lower level of service for having traditional documents.
It also pushed to remove the phase in provisions so the private sector could have access immediately and alter privacy laws before the scheme started.
âThere are significant problems with the governmentâs Digital ID Bill, as is clear from the many issues raised by stakeholders,â opposition government services spokesman Paul Fletcher said.
The coalition would closely monitor and scrutinise its implementation after it passed, he said.
Â
Dominic Giannini
(Australian Associated Press)