Is Australia pushing for digital ID?

Yes, Australia is pushing for digital ID, with the Australian Government Digital ID system being rolled out under the Digital ID Act 2024 which passed in May 2024. The Australian Government Digital ID, formerly called myGovID, is a voluntary system that allows Australians to verify their identity online once and use it to access government and private services without repeatedly providing documents. The system is regulated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission as regulator and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner for privacy. The government is pushing digital ID as part of its Cyber Security Strategy to reduce identity theft and data breaches, because currently businesses store copies of passports and licences which are targeted by hackers, with Optus and Medibank breaches exposing millions of IDs. Digital ID aims to allow you to prove you are over 18 or have a valid licence without sharing full documents. It is voluntary for citizens, not mandatory, and private companies can become accredited to accept Digital ID, such as banks and telcos. As of 2025-2026, myGovID is used by over 10 million Australians for ATO, Centrelink and Medicare. The government is expanding it to private sector with NAB, Commonwealth Bank and Australia Post Digital ID as accredited providers. There has been public debate about privacy and security, but government says it is not a card or number, it is an app-based verification that reduces need to share physical IDs, and it includes strong privacy safeguards with no central biometric database.