Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the:

(a) Government has not articulated a plan to improve the experience of citizens using digital channels to access government services and payments;

(b) 2022-23 budget did not contain a single new initiative designed to improve citizens' digital experience;

(c) 2022-23 budget will see more public servants employed by Services Australia, but without any new funding allocation to equip them with the latest digital tools; and

(d) development of the Digital Identity system has stalled significantly under the current Government to the extent that it is not even mentioned in the 2022-23 budget;

(2) further notes:

(a) most Australians are now transacting with the Government through digital channels with 1.2 billion online transactions taking place in the past financial year alone; and

(b) that the former Government initiated development on the Digital Identity system; and

(3) calls on the Government to continue the former Government's strong track record by prioritising service modernisation through digital transformation.

Given that our modern way of living is now synonymous with the use of technology to manage our lives, it is no wonder that the Optus and Medibank data breaches have alarm bells ringing. It's such sensitive personal information, including Medicare numbers and Centrelink CRNs, information used by Services Australia. Minister Shorten must uphold his responsibilities and make sure this data is secure, protecting the privacy of all Australians.

Surely the time is now for the government to prioritise as a matter of urgency the continued development of the digital identity system. A digital identity, once set up, means we can interact with government services online any time of day or night in the most secure way. It can be used for both personal and business matters.

In the last financial year alone, there were 1.2 billion online transactions through Services Australia. We know that many Australians are now transacting with government services through digital channels. By December last year, more than six million Australians were using a myGov ID, which is managed by the ATO and subject to the highest levels of identity security. It's convenient and allows us to access more than 75 digital services. We can do our taxes, apply for our safety net payments, like JobSeeker and Youth Allowance, access our immunisation records and certificates, and track payments and claims.

The coalition supports the user led audit into myGov. This review announced prior to the data breaches needs to take a very serious look into what improvements can be made to Services Australia's cyber protection. If the government is serious about the review, it must also provide the necessary funding to implement its findings. There is no doubt that the COVID pandemic has permanently changed many aspects of our lives. We are unlikely to trade in the convenience of digital channels to rejoin the long queue at a Services Australia office. Not only has the government failed to explain its plan—if it has one at all—to keep up with Australia's expectations and improve the user experience when navigating these vital digital channels; shamefully, the 2022-23 budget contained no initiatives to further improve citizens' digital experiences.

By removing staff cappings and cutting external labour, the government has drastically increased the number of public servants to be employed by Services Australia, without any indication that this would create better customer outcomes. Despite this, no new money has been provided to allow new IT systems that could simplify and make transactions with the government agencies more efficient and user friendly.

The former coalition government instinctively understood the need to modernise government services through a digital transformation. In 2015, the coalition commenced the development of the digital identity system through the Digital Transformation Agency, which was strategically placed under the guardianship of the minister responsible for government services. The coalition government completed significant groundwork in formulating a system to establish trusted identity providers. In a manner similar to myGovID, a person would be able to use an identity provider to verify who they are through electronic checks against secure government records held by the likes of the ATO, the Australian Passport Office and state government license systems, with face identification taken by your smartphone. Your personal information is only stored once by a trusted identity provider, which is subjected to the strictest requirements to maintain security. This new system would allow banks and other third-party companies, like the telcos, to identify an individual without the need to store sensitive and private information, which, as we know, can fall into the hands of criminals. It is now time for the government to expedite a digital identity system and give Australians the option to access a secure identification system that they can use with confidence. Now more than ever, our privacy and safety depend on it.

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