National Digital ID Bill to Be Introduced to Australian Senate

In this photo illustration a man holds a phone displaying a valid Australian digital COVID-19 vaccine certificate in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 14, 2021. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Australian federal Finance Minister Senator Katy Gallagher will introduce legislation for a national digital ID on Nov. 30.

Minister Gallagher provided notice of her intention to introduce the legislation on Nov. 29, ahead of the final day of Parliament for the week.

One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts said the nationalist One Nation party would oppose the bill loudly, in a post to X.

“We have just learnt that Senator Katy Gallagher, Finance Minister, is introducing the Digital ID Bill 2023 tomorrow,” he said on Nov. 29.

“It’s time for all Australians to visit, call, and write to your local federal MPs and all senators in your state now.”

Introduction of the Digital ID Bill 2023 and Digital ID (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Bill 2023 are listed under Senate business.

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The ID would create a single platform that unites a person’s identification documents, and connect it with government services such as myGov, Centrelink, and the Australian Tax Office.

An online petition with 93,510 signatures created by Liberal Senator Alex Antic a few months ago has pushed for the government to “scrap the digital identity power grab.”

“The Labor government wants to take your most sensitive personal data. They want to cram it into a central government-run database—the perfect target for a hacker. They want to generate a ‘digital identity’ with this data,” the petition states.

“Then they will force you to use this ‘digital identity’ to transact online or access online services. The worst part? This is the first step in a Chinese-style social credit system.”

A public consultation on a draft Digital Identity Bill 2023 was held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 10.

What’s the Deal With the Digital ID?

The legislation would create a national digital ID for Australians that is accessible to both the public and private sectors. The government claims the digital ID will also have “strong privacy provisions” built in.

In late October, Minister Gallagher posted on LinkedIn she was making “progress” on the proposal.

The minister had met with a newly appointed Ministerial Digital ID Expert Panel, providing independent advice on the impending ecosystem.

“This panel will play an important role in the government’s commitment to legislate a Digital ID system that is secure, convenient, voluntary, and inclusive,” Ms. Gallagher said at the time.

Victor Dominello, chair of the panel, said the legislation would be introduced “by the end of this year or early next year.”

Mr. Dominello said the digital ID would “empower” individuals with “more control” over their personal information via more “privacy, security, and service delivery options” for the people of Australia.

Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher during question time in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on June 14, 2023. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

The panel also includes former Australian Privacy Commissioner Malcolm Crompton, Indigenous digital inclusion advisory Chair Dot West, and former head of Australia Post Digital ID Margo Stephen.