Opening Statement of Lynn Kraus, CEO of Australian Payments Plus (AP+) made to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee Inquiry into Digital ID Bill 2023 and the Digital ID (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Bill 2023
Australian Payments Plus (AP) is a committed supporter of the work of the Digital ID Taskforce and this important legislation that will allow Australians who choose to use a Digital ID to enhance the privacy and the security of their personal information.
How we as Australian’s prove our identity has not changed in decades. I am certain everyone in this room can relate to the times when they have needed to make a photocopy of a passport or a driving licence and then email or possibly worse yet, hand a printed copy of this private information over to a stranger.
Each and every time we hand over copies of our personal information, we are opening ourselves up to identity theft, to the potential for criminals to steal this data and use it in ways that we know can have a devastating impact for individuals and their families.
Through this legislation, Australians will be offered a choice of a better way to keep their personal information safer. The legislation will create an environment where less personal information will be shared which will mean there is less opportunity for data theft.
The Digital ID system has benefits not just for Australian citizens but also for Australian businesses. There is a real cost to businesses of data. There is a cost associated with acquiring data, there is a cost to storing that data and keep it secure, and there is a cost to safely deleting that data. For many small businesses these costs can be significant.
Unfortunately, we are also aware in this country of the costs to both individuals and businesses when there is a data breach.
A Digital ID System built on trust, transparency, consumer choice, consent and privacy is a necessary reform needed to build Australia's resilience to cyber threats and identity fraud.
Digital ID solutions are already available for Australians, ConnectID is the AP+ TDIFaccredited Digital Identity Exchange and is a part of the national infrastructure that AP+ now operates.
Australia has a vibrant digital economy and Australian’s love their technology, it is essential that there is this next stage of legislation and that the public and private sector work together to protect Australians in this digital age by reducing the sharing of data.
AP+ supports this legislation and as a Digital ID exchange operator we offer some recommendations based on our experience.
You can read our full submission here.
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