In a significant development in the digital identity the country, Austroads, a longstanding authority in verifying Australian driver licenses, is poised to lead a pioneering initiative.
With a pivotal role in processing over four million verifications each month through the National Document Verification Service (DVS) for driver licenses, Austroads is ready to extend its expertise to digital identity.
Since 2018, Austroads has collaborated with peak bodies like the Association of American Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and Association of European Vehicle and Driver Registration Authorities (EReg) to develop international digital credentialing standards.
This global partnership, along with industry giants such as Google, Apple, Samsung, Thales, Idemia, HID, NEC, and Get Up Group, has worked on establishing the International Standard for digital driver licenses.
Across Australian states and territories, there is a concerted effort to adopt this standard, ensuring that digital driver licenses offer robust privacy protection, security, and cross-border compatibility.
In a groundbreaking move, Austroads is actively seeking partnerships to develop a Digital Trust Service based on ISO 18013-5. Initially focusing on verifying digital driver licenses and digital photo ID/proof of age credentials, this initiative aims to address the evolving needs of our increasingly digital society.
“We intend to bring secure, privacy-preserving credential verification technology to Australia, positioning us at the forefront of identity and road safety,” said Austroads Chief Executive, Dr. Geoff Allan.
Dr. Allan highlighted the significance of driver licenses as a key document for verifying identity, with over 80% of the adult population holding a driver license and using it as a form of identification.
“Harmonising digital driver licenses across all jurisdictions is an important and complementary step to the larger national digital identity agenda,” he emphasized.
Dr. Kirsten McKillop, Austroads Director of Digital Identity, expressed the aim to harmonize digital driver licenses and other credentials across Australia, enabling their use by any government agency or business at any time and place.
“A common standard is essential to ensure seamless mutual recognition of physical driver licenses in the digital realm, meeting the demands of our customers and businesses,” McKillop added.
Christopher Goh, the new National Harmonization Lead – Digital Identity at Austroads, shared his perspective on the pilot, highlighting the close collaboration with issuing authorities of digital credentials across Australia and New Zealand, as well as maintaining strong relations with North American and European counterparts.
“Our pilot aims to demonstrate the feasibility of verifying credentials across Australia and coordinating tests with international partners, ensuring international alignment,” Mr. Goh stated.
Looking ahead, Austroads will release an Expression of Interest in February 2024 to seek experienced service providers to nationally harmonize digital driver licenses, photo identity, and associated digital identities.
A forum on February 26th will provide interested vendors with an opportunity to engage with Austroads, seek clarification on direction, architecture, and solution requirements for delivering next-generation digital credentialing services.
Austroads’ vision extends beyond pioneering this transformative initiative; they aspire to co-design national policy in this space and openly share the architecture and approaches with other government entities, contributing to the growth of knowledge and capability in Australia.
