NSW govt creates digital identity advisory council

The NSW government will set up a new ministerial advisory council to inform digital identity policy as it looks to drive greater consistency across the state's identity products and services.

Digital and customer service minister Victor Dominello revealed the digital identity ministerial advisory council (DIMAC) following the release of the government’s first identity strategy last month.

The strategy aims to ensure departments and agencies take a “holistic” approach to privacy, security and customer service when implementing “new identity products, processes and technology”.

The 10-member advisory council will provide advice on “strategic and tactical approaches” to digital identity and relevant issues to Dominello in a similar fashion to the AI advisory committee.

It is ultimately expected to “support improves digital identity-based services and outcomes in accelerated times” by facilitating collaboration between government, industry and academia.

The government is currently calling for digital identity thought leaders, both in an individual and industry capacity, to join the council, with membership to be reviewed and rotated on an annual basis.

Interested candidates will need to offer advice on ways to accelerate adoption of digital identity and ensure alignment between industry and government as part of their application before May 31.

“It’s an exciting time to contribute to shaping the way the NSW and broader Australian government build solid and safe digital identity foundations,” the expressions of interest reads.

“Policy and strategies for digital identity need to be developed responsibly and with a clear focus on outcomes so that the community has trust that their identity and privacy is being used and managed appropriately.”

Expert advice will build on the five priorities of privacy, security, customer service, protection and equal access in the digital identity strategy, which aim to provide a consistent framework for all identity products and services.

The strategy, developed by the NSW identity security council, also outlines a number of key initiatives to build national identity ecosystems, namely becoming a “digital identity provider” under the federal government's Govpass scheme.

It comes as the federal Digital Transformation Agency prepares to expand the digital identity scheme across the wider economy, with legislation expected to be introduced to parliament later this year.

At present, only the Australian Taxation Office’s myGovID credential and Australia Post’s Digital iD credential are accredited as identity providers under the Trusted Digital Identity Framework.

Other key initiatives in the NSW digital identity strategy include a mandatory data breach notification scheme, which will require agencies and councils to report data breaches – a first for any state or territory jurisdiction.

Last week, the government began consulting on a draft bill that also closes a regulatory loophole by applying NSW's Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act to state-owned corporations.