The
federal
government’s
slow
movement
on
digital
ID
risks
creating
“digital
rail
gauges
…
where
a
credential
issued
by
one
jurisdiction
won’t
be
accepted
in
another,” a
review
of
myGov,
which
also
covered
digital
identity,
has
warned.
The
report,
in
two
volumes,
[pdf] and
[pdf] highlights
how
slow
decision-making
at
the
federal
level,
along
with
a
lack
of
legislative
support
for
digital
ID,
have
left
Australians
vulnerable.
It
also
tackles
clunky
processes,
lack
of
inclusion,
and
fragmentation
of
digital
ID,
which
it
said
created
confusion
for
agencies
on
which
to
adopt,
and
for
citizens
on
which
to
use.
The
report
found
that
even
among
myGov
users,
digital
ID
usage
lags:
“Whilst
2.4
million
myGov
accounts
have
been
linked
to
a
digital
identity,
actual
usage
is
low:
on
average
less
than
8000
users
choose
digital
identity
to
sign
in
each
day,
which
equates
to
around
one
percent
of
total
sign-ins,”
it
said.
The
report
also
points
to
usability
challenges,
and
calls
for
improvements
–
such
as
having
myGovID
appear
as
a
popup
when
identity
verification
is
required
within
myGov,
and
ensuring
users
don’t
“get
stuck
when
encountering
errors”.
Inclusion
failures
The
report
also
highlighted
that
digital
identity
is
far
from
inclusive:
48
percent
of
Australians
don’t
hold
an
Australian
passport,
and
are
thereby
excluded
from
getting
a
digital
ID
to
Identity
Proofing
Level
3
(IP3)
–
necessary
for
digital
access
to
welfare
services
or
a
tax
file
number,
for
example.
The
report
adds
that
around
200,000
First
Nations
people
can’t
reach
Identity
Proofing
Level
2
(IP2,
for
obtaining
utility
services,
for
example)
because
they
lack
birth
certificates;
while
people
cannot
use
myGov
at
all
if
their
identity
documents
don’t
match,
or
if
they
lack
their
own
mobile.
device.
The
government
needs
to
act
to
make
digital
ID
more
inclusive.
The
panel
recommended
the
government
commit
to
offer
all
Australians
an
IP3
identity,
with
in-person
verification
with
Services
Australia
as
an
option.
It
should
also
be
easier
to
recover
an
existing
myGovID
to
set
up
a
new
device,
without
providing
all
identity
documents
again.
The
report
also
calls
for
pilots
of
how
to
use
myGovID
without
a
dedicated
mobile
device,
“including
the
use
of
cloud-based
passkeys
and
physical
security
keys.”
Fragmentation
Governments
have
dragged
their
feet
on
providing
legislative
support
for
both
the
digital
identity
framework
and
biometric
matching,
the
report
stated.
It’s
now
urgent
for
legislation
to
catch
up,
the
report
said,
because
while
legislation
is
lacking,
the
“use
of
digital
identity
and
limited
facial
verification
is
accelerating
without
any
dedicated
legal
safeguards
or
governance
framework
in
place,
leaving
Australians
vulnerable
to
security,
privacy
and
other
human
rights
violations.”
The
lack
of
identity
providers
onboarded
with
the
federal
government
–
myGovID
is
currently
the
only
one
–
also
limits
who
can
get
an
IP3
digital
identity,
the
report
said.
The
lack
of
Commonwealth
legislation
has
also
led
to
states
and
territories
going
their
own
way.
“There
is
a
publicly
stated
aspiration
to
align,”
the
report
said,
“but
the
risk
of
national
fragmentation
inches
ever
higher
as
some
states
and
territories
look
to
imminently
introduce
their
own
legislative
frameworks.”
The
report
also
noted
the
popularity
of
states’
offerings
such
as
digital
driver’s
licences,
because
they’re
easy
to
use,
offer
good
privacy
for
users,
and
can
be
verified
without
needing
a
central
exchange.
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