Australia-wide digital IDs could be coming soon

Aussies could be using a national digital ID within the next 12 months where licences, Medicare cards and other forms can be verified online by external organisations.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher took on the digital ID plan from the former Morrison government which would allow Australians to pop together their ID forms - including but not limited to driver's licences, Medicare cards or proof of age cards - into a platform to be used by external organisations to verify a person's identity.

She told the Australian Financial Review's Government Services Summit that the program will be up and running by mid-next year.

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"That's a pretty tight timeframe, so I don't want to be held to that. But that's kind of my roadmap," she said.

Gallagher said many states are already implementing digital services to access ID forms like driver's licences and a nationally-regulated service will be an extension of that for Australians.

"We've got the system, it's just not regulated and not in a shape I think that will allow us to drive it forward and give the interoperability and the economy-wide benefits that come from having a national system, but we're very committed to it," she said.

The service won't be a new card or number but ID forms will be compiled into one system in an "easy, secure, voluntary and efficient way", Gallagher added.

She also said the scheme would allow existing state and territory apps to be "interoperable" with the program, meaning it would all work together.

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But the scheme isn't without controversy.

Gallagher noted it has been "contested", with petitions already circulating against the digital verification service over cybersecurity concerns, data retention and from anti-government groups.

It comes as Australia has experienced a rise in cyberattacks in the past 18 months including the major Optus data breach, Medibank and financial services provider Latitude.

"There is already pushback," she said.

"We've seen this, particularly coming out of COVID-19 you know, theories, conspiracy theories about what government's trying to do."

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She defended the scheme as allowing Australians to have control of their information.

"It is about securing your information and protecting your information and ensuring that you know, when that information is shared, it's done under a regulated system," she said.

Australia Post, Mastercard and Australian Payments Plus have already implemented digital verification systems.

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