The Digital Transformation Office (DTA) will receive a $67.2m funding boost to “accelerate development” of the national digital identity scheme, myGovID.
 

Announced as part of the Government’s forthcoming budget, the multi-million dollar funding allocation will support ongoing tests of the digital ID service, as well as supporting the remaining seven of eight pilot programs.

The $67m cash injection brings the total spend on the myGovID project to $190 million, following an additional $92 million allocation in last year’s budget.

Human Services and Digital Transformation Minister Michael Keenan compared the potential use-cases for digital ID scheme to the ease of accessing an online bank account, saying that it will help businesses and individuals access government services easily and securely.

“The system also removes the need for people to remember dozens of separate government logins and passwords by creating a single, convenient solution,” Keenan said.

The digital identity scheme, first piloted last October, provides a “single and secure” digital identity for Australian citizens and permanent residents to transact on government departments’ online service portals.

The October pilot included a new end-to-end digital application process for tax file numbers (TFN) – reducing a once 40-day process to just a few minutes.

Replacing the existing manual application process, which required certification of a printed TFN form through the post office or Centrelink office, the new myGovID-backed transaction allowed clients to process and receive a TFN in minutes.

The next pilot will test myGovID as an access credential for the Australian Business Registry, effectively replacing the ATO’s outmoded AUSKey service.

Yet, perhaps the most hotly anticipated – though long expected – test-case for myGovID will be its integration with the Federal Government’s online services portal, myGov – linking upwards of 15 million unique accounts to the service.

According to Minister Keenan, “integrating digital identity with myGov is a natural next step”.

“This will enable many Australians to choose a simple and secure way to prove who they are and access services conveniently and securely,” he said.