GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE CONCRETE ACTION ON DIGITAL ID AT MINISTERS FORUM

The Albanese Labor Government must use tomorrow’s Data and Digital Ministers Meeting to take concrete action towards implementation of a national Digital Identity system, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy, Paul Fletcher said today.

“After more than 270 days in office, the Government has left key progress on digital identity hanging in the wind. Tomorrow’s meeting is a chance for the government to show leadership and take real steps to deliver a national digital ID scheme,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Last week Finance Minister Katy Gallagher was forced to concede there had only been one meeting of this important ministerial forum, which is a prime vehicle to progress digital identity.

“The recently released independent myGov User Audit noted the government’s slow progress on digital identity, stating that work on the system was ‘now urgent’.

“The review also noted that in the absence of legislative foundations, Australians are now more vulnerable to privacy breaches, such as those that occurred with Medibank and Optus.

"The Albanese government should clearly state when legislation for the scheme will be released for consultation and then introduced to the Parliament.

“With the NSW Government pressing on with its own digital identity system in the face of the federal government’s inaction, it’s past time the Albanese Labor Government took the initiative.

“The Opposition also calls on the Minister for Government Services, Bill Shorten to attend the forum to progress the findings of the myGov review.

“Worryingly, Mr Shorten was relegated to the role of ‘a stakeholder’ on digital policy in the Finance Minister’s own words at Senate Estimates last week.

“The former Coalition Government, following several years of detailed work led by the Digital Transformation Agency, released an exposure draft of the Trusted Digital Identity Bill, which Mr Shorten couldn’t even bring himself to declare a position on when in opposition.

“It’s well past time the Albanese Labor Government got this moving with real action,” Mr Fletcher said.

ENDS

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