The Law Council of Australia said Australia’s future national digital ID must demonstrate the “gold standard” when it comes to privacy and cybersecurity as the country reviews its privacy regulations.
An organization representing the country’s legal profession submitted a set of recommendations on digital identity and data standards to the Ministry of Finance in early July, including the introduction of consent mechanisms and a self-sovereign identity (SSI) structure.
Another recommendation for digital identity frameworks is to allow users to submit specific attributes rather than their full identity – for example, users who access social media would only need to submit proof of age rather than their full identity.
Cybersecurity has ranked high in discussions about the country’s digital ID system following the Optus data breach in 2022. The Albanese government claims identity protections introduced after the incident prevented more than 300,000 fraudulent attempts over 18 months. The government also plans to spend A$11 million (US$7.2 million) over four years to protect people whose identity was exposed after the breach.
The Law Council also argues that any reform of Australian privacy laws should include a right of action for consumers affected by privacy breaches.
The country has been debating reforms to the Privacy Act of 1988 to improve online safety, including addressing identity theft and fraud, and protecting minors online. In February 2023, the Attorney General’s Office published the Privacy Act Review Report, with the government fully accepting 38 of the 116 recommendations. A further 68 recommendations were accepted in principle, pending further consultation.
The bill is expected to be introduced by August 2024.
Australia’s cyber security and digital identity investments face budget cuts
Digital identity and cybersecurity are among the top government technology trends for 2024, and Australia is allocating significant budgets to implement them. But despite increased government spending, Australia still faces shrinking budgets, according to consulting firm Gartner.
“We are in a sustained period of unprecedented fiscal austerity and facing the toughest challenges at the federal level in several cycles,” Dean Lacheca, vice president and research analyst for public sector and government at Gartner, told IT News.
Gartner predicts that departments and agencies will spend more than AU$19 billion (US$12.4 billion) on IT services in 2024, up 9.3 percent from last year, with more than half of that – AU$11.7 billion (US$7.6 billion) – being spent at the federal level.
The Federal Government has allocated A$1.8 billion (US$1.1 billion) over the next three years to make government services more secure and efficient. According to the 2024-2025 Budget, A$206.4 million (US$135.4 million) will be allocated over the next four years to improve cybersecurity for regulators and registrars, while A$288.1 million (US$189 million) will go towards the national digital identity program.
Article Topics
Australia | Cybersecurity | Data Privacy | Digital Government | Digital Identity | Identity Management | Self-Sovereign Identity | Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF)
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