Senate Passes Australia’s National Digital ID

In this photo illustration a man holds a phone displaying a valid Australian digital COVID-19 vaccine certificate in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 14, 2021. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Digital ID Bill 2023 has passed the Australian Senate with 33 members voting yes and 26 against.

Multiple senators took to social media on March 27 to complain that the legislation was rushed through the Parliament without debate.

Finance and Government Services Minister Katy Gallagher introduced amendments to the original legislation following a Senate Committee inquiry and consultation.

This will mean private businesses will now be able to apply to join the Australian government’s digital ID system within two years of royal assent.

The bill (pdf) establishes a national digital ID system and creates the framework for a centralised platform for Australians to verify their identity online.

Senators from the centre-right Liberal Party, United Australia Party, and nationalist One Nation opposed the bill, while Labor, Greens, the Jacqui Lambie Network, and former Liberal-turned-independent David Van voted for it.

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson claimed “no debate was allowed” in a post to X on March 27.

“Anthony Albanese’s Labor government has just rammed Digital ID legislation through the parliament. No debate was allowed, and no questions were allowed to be asked of ministers,” Ms. Hanson said.

“Labor, Greens, Pocock, Lambie, Tyrrell and Van all voted to pass this legislation. Shame on them all.”

United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet also expressed alarm that the bill passed without debate.

“United Australia Party voted no to Digital ID. This bill was rushed through with zero debate in the Senate,” Mr. Babet said. “It is a sad day for democracy.”

In Australia, residents can already use a digital ID to sign up for government services including MyGov, Centrelink, Medicare, and the Australian Tax Office.

However, the digital ID legislation expands this system for use by state and territory governments and the private sector.

Liberal Senator Alex Antic gathered 123,000 signatures to oppose the bill ahead of debate in the Senate.

“This is a bill at the moment that’s pitched as though it is simply for your security, it will set up a nice friendly ID system so that you can interact with government, can interact with business,” Mr. Antic said on social media.

“But I don’t buy it. This is the first step, well the next step, in another long step towards a digital future which you don’t want. This could very comfortably be tied in with a central bank digital currency, or with the social credit score, but you need digital ID before you even get to that.”

The digital ID bill was first brought to the Senate on Nov. 30, 2023, following a Senate inquiry and short consultation.

Senator Katy Gallagher’s office provided details of amendments she would be moving in the Senate to The Epoch Times early on March 27.

These included enabling businesses to sign up within two years and provisions to make the system digital ID voluntary.

“The government will also support amendments that confirm the voluntary use of digital ID and ensures that the alternative ways to verify ID to access services are easy to use and don’t disadvantage those who do not want a Digital ID,” the senator said.