This appeared last week:
Australians to soon get myGovID single government identity
The first of several pilot programs using a beta version of a myGovID will begin in October, the federal government confirmed on Tuesday.
Minister for Human Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Michael Keenan has offered further detail on Australia's digital identity, announcing the myGovID at the National Press Club on Tuesday.
In a statement, Keenan said having 30 different log-ins for government services is "not good enough", and it is anticipated the single log-in will allow Australians to access almost all government services by 2025.
"Think of it as a 100-point digital ID check that will unlock access to almost any government agency through a single portal such as a myGov account," he said. "The old ways of doing things, like forcing our customers to do business with us over the counter, must be re-imagined and refined."
Citizens will need to establish a digital identity before being able to use it across services, the minister explained.
Keenan confirmed the first of several pilot programs using a beta version of the myGovID will begin in October, after the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) revealed last month it had pencilled in the date for delivery of its first Govpass pilot.
Revealed during Senate Estimates in March, the initial pilot will enable 100,000 participants to apply for a tax file number (TFN) online, which Keenan, echoing remarks previously made by the DTA, said will reduce processing time to a day, when it currently can take up to a month.
Australians are able to complete their TFN application online, but this needs to be printed and taken along with identity documents to an Australia Post Office to be finalised. There are 750,000 applications for TFNs each year.
In a pilot starting from March 2019, services including grants management, business registration, student services, and some Centrelink services, are expected to become available.
The DTA anticipates that around 2.8 million transactions will be moved online as a result of this.
At the same time, 100,000 people will be able to use their digital identity to create their My Health Record online.
The federal government is automatically signing people up to its My Health Record scheme, with the goal of having issued a digital medical file to all Australians by the end of this year.
Currently, more than 5.7 million Australians have a My Health Record, and those who don't want one will have from July 16 to October 15, 2018, to opt out.
Lots more here:
There is also press coverage here:
One log-in for government services access
Matt Coughlan AAP Tuesday, 12 June 2018 12:50PM
Australians will be able to access government services with a single log-in under a government plan.
Australians will be able to access government services with a single log-in under a plan to create a "single digital identity" by 2025.
Michael Keenan, the federal minister in charge of digital services, said face-to-face interactions with government services would be greatly reduced.
"Think of it as a 100-point digital ID check that will unlock access to almost any government agency through a single portal such as a myGov account," Mr Keenan said.
The minister wants Australia to be a world leader in digital government, with almost all services to be available online by 2025.
Mr Keenan said having 30 different log-ins for government services is not good enough.
"The old ways of doing things, like forcing our customers to do business with us over the counter, must be re-imagined and refined," he said.
People will need to establish their digital identity once before being able to use it across services.
The first of several pilot programs using a "beta" version of what will be known as myGovID will begin in October.
Again more details here:
There is also good coverage here:
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/govt-digital-blueprint-nears-completion-493472
Justin Hendry, the author or the article in itNews, also points out the the Aust. Tax Office will be the key identity manager and custodian of the Digital Identities.
This comment is also interesting:
"The identity provider is one of two platforms that underpin Govpass, the other of which is the exchange.
The exchange is the gateway that will be used to verify an individual’s credentials without revealing their identity to service providers. It will be operated by DHS."
Behind these is a press release of June 12, 2018 (and a NPC Address).
Delivering Australia’s Digital Future
- Australia to be a world leader in digital government by 2025.
- Most government services to be available online, improving convenience and efficiency for citizens and business.
- Trials to begin in October of new digital identity solution to enable secure access to online services.
The Turnbull Government has announced ambitious plans for Australia to become a world leader in “digital government” by 2025, ensuring virtually all services will be available online in just seven years.
Australians want faster and easier access to government services and the Coalition is determined to not only meet those expectations, but to significantly exceed them.
That’s why I am today committing us to becoming one of the top three countries in the world for digital government by 2025.
To help us achieve this bold goal, the Digital Transformation Agency is now working on a whole-of-government Digital Strategy which will set out the key milestones and timeframes for delivering them between now and 2025.
The strategy, which will be published later this year, will serve as a roadmap for Government to ensure we stay on course.
As a nation, we are already a long way down the road toward becoming a truly digital government and we should be proud of what we have achieved so far.
We are already three years into a seven-year program to digitally transform the welfare payment system which will eventually enable all benefit types to be claimed and processed online.
But we want to be more than just good by international standards. I want Australia to be a country that others will aspire to emulate.
The advantages of achieving this goal are enormous. Not only will we significantly improve convenience for our citizens, but businesses will also enjoy improved efficiency and productivity.
Digitisation will also deliver significant cost savings for Government. At present, a traditional over the counter transaction such as registering a business name costs taxpayers $17 to process on average.
By enabling transactions to be conducted entirely online, the cost of processing can drop to as little as about 40 cents. To put that into context, governments around Australia process about 800 million transactions every year.
The key to ensuring online transactions are conducted securely is the development of a trusted digital identity solution. Think of it as a 100-point digital ID check that will unlock access to almost any government agency through a single portal such as a myGov account.
The first of several pilot programs using a “beta” version of what will be known as myGovID will begin in October.
The initial pilot will enable 100,000 participants to apply for a Tax File number online.
Currently, applicants can fill in a form online, but then have to print it out and take it to their local post office where their identification can be verified before they can submit it for processing.
This process can take up to a month to complete, but the pilot will reduce that time to a single day – and all without having to leave the comfort of your living room.
Later pilots will enable users to register a business online, apply for government grants or establish a My Health Record account.
Other key initiatives being announced today include:
- The release of a new Digital Sourcing Framework which includes a set of key principals to ensure fair, effective and efficient ICT procurement,
- Consultation on a new Portfolio Panel policy to simplify procurement, and
- Expanding the Digital Marketplace to include a new Training Marketplace which will be launched later this month.
As with everything the Government does, privacy and security will be at the heart of any of the changes we plan to make as we embark on our journey towards full digital government.
Consultation will also be vital with both industry and relevant interest groups to ensure we deliver services that people will want to use and also trust.
Here is the link:
Basically this is attempt No 3 to give all Australians a unique identifier to make it easy to deal with Government but at the same time link all our interactions with Government via a single key!
It is the digital equivalent of the Australia Card and the Access Card of times gone by and you can be sure that increasingly it will be impossible to have any dealings with Government without one.
Just how you feel about it is your choice but the Government is going to need to be very careful regarding the privacy and security controls around all this as I suspect it will be pretty easy the ‘spook the horses’ if there are security or privacy leaks.
It will be interesting to see how quickly the only portal to the myHR, Centrelink, the ATO and so on will be this one. Time will tell I guess but just how the digitally deprived are handled will also be interesting. (Would it be too harsh to suggest the Government is just waiting till they die out?)
Big changes ahead…
David.
5 comments:
I wonder if this initiative will comply with the International Standard for Unique identifiers?
The DTA service standards outlines principles, one of which is very specific to adopting open standards. This will however make or brake the DTA.
The strategy, which will be published later this year, will serve as a roadmap for Government to ensure we stay on course.
oh goodie, another roadmap.
It comes out of Canberra so Roadmap will be a roundabout, leading nowhere....
As the trend seem to be everything UK, the roundabout will mimic Swindon
Post a Comment