The Minister for Digital and for Customer Service has declared that digital birth certificates could soon be a reality, with the Department of Customer Service spearheading a cross-jurisdictional project to develop a national Digital Birth Certificate.
The Minister, Victor Dominello said the NSW-led initiative was currently in the research phase and was on track to deliver a proof of concept in the second half of the year.
Mr Dominello said any digital solution would be opt-in only and would adhere to the highest privacy, trust and security standards.
Attorney General Mark Speakman said the Digital Birth Certificate would be a world-first and that nowhere else in the world provided a holistic digital solution to identity establishment, verification, authentication and management.
Mr Speakman said community consultation had commenced, with a focus on Government Agencies, schools, and junior sports.
“It’s crucial to make any Digital Birth Certificate a highly secure document that is easy to authenticate and protected from fraudsters and criminals,” Mr Speakman said.
“That’s why we are carefully co-designing this proposal with the community to help prevent identity theft and crime,” he said.
“A birth certificate opens the doors to schooling, health and other vital Government services; it’s also needed for a range of life events including applying for a driver’s licence and getting a bank account.”
Mr Speakman said the key priorities for the national project team would be privacy and ensuring that any potential solution was accessible to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
Further information on the Digital Birth Certificate, including how to have a say in its development, can be accessed at this PS News link.
The consultation is open until 23 May.
