Minister’s foreword to ‘Your guide to the Digital Identity legislation’

As we have seen during recent years, Australians are keen and willing to adapt to challenges (Scamdemic). In recent years, our nation has transformed the way we go about our daily lives – and it all revolves around digital. From shopping to banking to accessing government services, Australia has turned to digital in droves.

Federal Liberal Minister Stewart Robert is going to have you producing your ID before purchasing any item including food. Submissions for this bill close on October 27, 2021

With this comes great benefits – a thriving digital economy drives growth by enabling businesses to prosper, providing more job opportunities for Australians, and connecting us with emerging industries and technologies across the world. However, Australians and Australian businesses must have trust and confidence that the system and their personal information is safe and secure.

A safe, thriving digital economy is the best way we can grow the Australian economy.

A safe, thriving digital economy is not possible without digital identity – that is, a safe, secure and convenient way for Australians to prove their identity online.

This is the focus of the proposed Digital Identity legislation. The Trusted Digital Identity Bill, once passed by Parliament, will establish permanent oversight and governance structures for the Australian Government Digital Identity System, and enshrine in law important privacy and consumer protections. It builds on strong safeguards already in place, providing the authority for a consistent set of rules that will protect Australians and Australian businesses. The work achieved in this space, and the future opportunities that legislation will enable, are critical parts of the Morrison Government’s ambition for our nation to be a leading digital economy and society by 2030.

The release of this exposure draft of the Bill and supporting materials is the next step in a multi-year journey of consultation to ensure the legislation is robust, fit-for-purpose, and meets public expectations. My sincere thanks to those who have contributed their views to date. I encourage you all to review the materials and provide your feedback to help us ensure this important work is done right.

The Hon. Stuart Robert MP
Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business

Here it is

On 1 October 2021, the Hon. Stuart Robert MP, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business released the exposure draft of the Trusted Digital Identity Bill and related legislative instruments for public consultation.   

We have conducted extensive consultation – including two completed rounds of public consultation – to understand public expectations for the legislation. Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback on the proposed legislation to date. 

The purposes of the legislation are to:

  • enable the expansion of the Australian Government Digital Identity System, specifically to enable greater participation by state and territory governments and the private sector
  • enshrine in law various privacy and consumer protections, so that Australians can have confidence in the System and know that their personal information is safe and secure
  • establish permanent governance arrangements and a strong regulatory regime.

Our Digital Identity legislation: What is it? fact sheet has further information [Word 124KB] [PDF 172KB]. 

We aim to provide documents in an accessible format. If you require a more accessible format, please contact us

Providing your feedback 

Your feedback on the draft Trusted Digital Identity Bill will help ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of the Australian community. 

How to make a submission

You can provide feedback by completing the short submission form, clicking the ‘choose file’ button to upload your submission, and selecting the ‘Complete form’ button at the end of the survey. 

  • We encourage you to make your submission in Word for accessibility reasons, though we will also accept other document formats, including PDFs.
  • While there are no restrictions on the content of your submission, please refer to the headings and ideas in the exposure draft of the Bill and the other documents in the package as much as possible.
  • If you have feedback on the RIS, please use one of the RIS feedback forms we have set up (available under ‘Regulation Impact Statement‘ above). Use the one that matches the role your organisation would play in the Australian Government Digital Identity System. If you’re not sure, use the RIS feedback form marked ‘General’.

Completing the online submission form should take around 5 minutes. Ensure you have your submission documents ready to upload before you begin. 

If you have any difficulty using the submission form to send your response, please email digitalidentity@dta.gov.au.