A new Agency is to be established within the Department of Customer Service to support Government Agencies and NSW residents to minimise the risks associated with identity theft.
Announced by Minister for Digital and Customer Service, Victor Dominello, IDSupport NSW is also to provide a single point of contact for citizens in the event of a data breach.
“IDSupport NSW will work with Government Agencies to mitigate the risk of stolen or fraudulently obtained personal information and identity credentials being used for identity crimes and replace compromised identity documents where appropriate,” Mr Dominello said.
“The unit will work closely with Cyber Security NSW and other Government Agencies to perform proactive mitigation activities and deliver education and awareness campaigns about personal cyber security and identity resilience,” he said.
“IDSupport NSW will work across all NSW Government Departments and in collaboration with Australian and New Zealand identity and cyber support service, IDCARE, to provide seamless replacement of compromised Government proof of identity documents and expert advice to address issues with broader identity misuse.”
Mr Dominello said the new Agency would complement a framework currently under development by the Department to support State Agencies in the identification and mitigation of potential privacy issues from data breaches.
The Minister said the Department was now recruiting for experts to join IDSupport NSW and focus on the future development of the project, due to be launched early next year.
“IDSupport NSW will for the first time provide a single point-of-contact for customers who have had their identity compromised, while ensuring we have a coordinated end-to-end privacy incident response service in NSW Government,” he said.
“Customers will be able to contact one phone number and receive the right guidance, information and support, saving time and frustration during what can be a stressful time.”
Mr Dominello said the unit would remove the burden from customers who needed to replace identification documents.
He said IDSupport NSW would also provide the customer with options for additional support and counselling services.
