Ministers agree to National Digital Identity Roadmap

Australian state and federal IT ministers have agreed to the development of a National Digital Identity Roadmap as part of efforts to align digital identity systems Australia-wide.

The new roadmap will form part of the Council of Australian Governments’ Commitment to pursue state-level alignment to the federal government s Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF).

According to a memorandum on the latest monthly meeting of the Australian Data and Digital Council Ministers, taking a national approach will ensure consistency and interoperability across jurisdictions on digital identity verification.

It will also support the ability for commonly held digital identities to be re-used across jurisdictions and provide better, more convenient experiences for people and businesses interacting with government and across government boundaries.

The agreement marks the first step towards digital identity interoperability across jurisdictions since the initial MoU between the federal and South Australian governments to collaborate on digital identity in late 2018.

The meeting was attended by Stuart Robert representing the federal government, Victor Dominello representing NSW, Danny Pearson representing Victoria, Dave Kelly representing Western Australia and Michael Ferguson representing Tasmania.

The ministers also agreed to continue to work to unlock important data to assist in Australia’s recovery from the health and economic crisis brought on by COVID-19.

“Establishing an evidence-based understanding of emerging issues across jurisdictions will enable all governments to better work together to improve Australia’s recovery and response,” the memorandum states.

“This will be particularly important to support the National Cabinet’s job making agenda.”

Finally, the ministers agreed to collaborate to help close the digital divide and enhance digital inclusion for all Australians.

“Ministers agreeing that while emerging digital technologies and services present significant opportunity to improve the lives of all Australians, many are missing out on the everyday opportunities that technology provides,” the memorandum states.

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