The Federal Government has sought community feedback on a draft Digital ID Bill as part of its next major step to creating a national digital identity system in Australia.

Minister for the Public Service and Finance, Katy Gallagher, said the legislation will move Digital ID to a nationally regulated system, accessible to both the public and private sectors. Gallagher added that the system will be bolstered by strong privacy protections.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been established to act as the initial regulator.

The national system is expected to allow people with a Digital ID to verify their ID without having to repeatedly provide copies of their most sensitive documents, such as passports, birth certificates and driver’s licences, for certain online services.

Work on a national Digital ID system began in 2015. Under the current voluntary framework, more than 10.5 million Australians already have a Digital ID to access government services.

The draft bill will:

• Strengthen voluntary Digital ID accreditation
• Provide legislative authority for the Australian Government’s Digital ID system to expand
• Strengthen privacy and consumer protections
• Strengthen governance for Digital ID.

“There has been a lot of discussion about Digital ID but now is the time to make sure the legislation we introduce incorporates the feedback of interested stakeholders. This short exposure draft period will allow that to happen and ensure we stay on track to introduce the final Bill by the end of this year,” Minister Gallagher said.

Consultation on the draft legislation is now open and will close on Monday, 9 October 2023.