The Digital ID Bill 2023 was introduced into the Senate on 30 November 2023.

UPDATE: Passed by Senate on 27 March 2024. It is subject to passage by the House of Representatives.

Digital IDs are intended provide people with a convenient, re-usable way to verify who they are when transacting online, without having to repeatedly provide copies or details of their most sensitive ID documents.

While digital identities are already provided by the Government (see https://www.digitalidentity.gov.au/) the Bill will:

• legislate and strengthen a voluntary Accreditation Scheme for digital ID service providers that wish to demonstrate compliance with best practice privacy, security, proofing and authentication standards;
• legislate and enable expansion of the Australian Government Digital ID System (AGDIS) for use by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and eventually private sector organisations;
• embed strong privacy and consumer safeguards, in addition to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) to ensure users are protected; and
• strengthen governance arrangements for the Accreditation Scheme and the AGDIS, including by establishing the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as the Digital ID Regulator, and expanding the role of the Information Commissioner to regulate privacy protections for digital IDs. Both these regulators will have a broad range of powers under the Bill, including to issue civil penalties.

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