Australia announces digital ID for employment

Australia’s government last week announced plans for a “national skills passport” which will serve as digital identification for employment.

The passport will consolidate individual taxpayers’ skills, qualifications and education and will be accessible to employers. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Education Minister Jason Clare, and Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor say the passport’s purpose is “to help workers promote their qualifications and businesses find more skilled workers.”

“A National Skills Passport has the potential to make it easier for employees to demonstrate their skills, change jobs and upskill, while making it simpler for employers to hire new staff with the skills and qualifications they need,” said the officials in a joint statement.

A$9.1million ($5,844,020) has been earmarked for a proof of concept and consultations with government entities, businesses, unions, students and educational institutions.

Treasurer Chalmers did not respond to a Frontline News request on whether the National Skills Passport will at any point be made mandatory for employment or whether it will be tied to the national digital ID program.

Australia Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher last month announced plans to expand the government’s digital ID program. Over 10 million Australians currently use MyGovID to access any one of the government's 130 services. Each ID contains digital versions of government-issued documents such as birth certificates, driving licenses, and passports, as well as the taxpayer’s unique biometric data.

But Gallagher seeks to expand MyGovID to the private sector, where third-party institutions can access taxpayers’ digital IDs before providing their services.

“Put yourself in the shoes of one of many thousands of Australians who has recently been affected by a natural disaster,” said Gallagher in a speech last week. “After losing your home and business to a fire or flood – the last thing you would want to do is try and hunt down original copies of birth certificates and identity documents to prove who you are so you can get an emergency payment and start re-building your life.”

The minister also proposed a use case of a mother and her children fleeing a violent situation and requiring her ID to receive assistance and support.

“Often, women leave this situation in a crisis and are lucky to leave with a phone,” she said. “A Digital ID could allow for improvements in how we provide support and assistance in these situations.

“These examples make one thing very clear – people need to be able to prove who they are and verify their identity – sometimes at a moment's notice – in an easy, safe, secure and voluntary way.”

While Australia’s digital ID program is currently voluntary, it was only last year that the government mandated digital identification in the form of vaccine passports. Some Australians are concerned, therefore, that the woman and children in Gallagher’s use case could face difficulty in the future if vaccine passports are mandated again.

For some governments, like Western Australia’s, vaccine passports formed the gateways to digital ID programs.

Last year, then-Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan announced the province’s vaccine passport app would be repurposed for a digital ID.

In Canada as well, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Digital Government Minister Sarah Stoodley, who is managing NL’s digital ID program, confirmed earlier this year that vaccine passports made the program possible.