A new digital ID system can help councils provide a more customer-centric service model, writes Ben Malpass.

In recent years, Australia has blazed a digital trail. Covid-19 may have fired the starting gun but organisations across the country have taken the transformation baton and run with it. Today, high expectations around digital convenience define our lives – and the way we interact with government services is no exception.

Australians expect digital public services to be as seamless, secure and efficient as those offered by the private sector. Yet all too often barriers to identity verification at local government level make the experience less than seamless for citizens and more labour intensive than necessary for councils. This vital missing link in the service delivery creates delays and frustrations at best – and erodes trust at worst.

Earlier this year, Government Services announced the Trust Exchange, or TEx – a one-stop shop for Australians to prove their identity and make cumbersome verification processes easier.

Described by Government Services minister Bill Shorten as the “gold-standard” of digital IDs, TEx will give citizens the ability to seamlessly verify their identity via digital wallets, without handing over passports or other sensitive documents. The federal government’s bid to “take the hassle out of proving who you are” also provides citizens with much greater control over what personal information is shared with organisations when doing things like setting up a bank account, buying a phone, renting property or checking into a hotel. 

Working alongside two other existing government systems – myGov and myGovID – TEx promises to simplify, streamline and secure how people gain access to products and services. Yet while the first flush of excitement focuses on benefits across the enterprise sector, TEx offers a solution to one of local government’s biggest pain points. A solution that will put citizens’ needs – rather than processes – back at the centre of service delivery.

Every day, citizens across Australia expect access to a wide spectrum of digital government services that support their varied needs when they need them most. There has even been a notable rise in digital government services among the elderly in the last year with eight in ten using at least one digital government service, up from 61% the year before.

But citizens wanting to gain real-time access to development applications, log-in to their library portal or register a pet, can only use those services if they are able to verify themselves. All too often this can be the hardest step, making the experience less than enjoyable for the user and more resource-heavy for the council.

Councils regularly face the issue of multiple or inconsistent records for the same person across different government services. All too often, one individual registers for various services under slightly different names. For example, John Smith at the library, J.B Smith as a dog owner, and Jonathan Smith as a ratepayer.

Verifying identities every time a citizen logs onto a service can therefore be time-consuming and frustrating, not just for residents but for council staff who are already up against pressing challenges. Nine out of every 10 councils in Australia are facing jobs and skills shortages, which are acting as a handbrake on productivity and exacerbating ongoing inefficiencies. TEx could free up significant time currently utilised by councils for necessary, but repetitive, verification admin.

On the other hand, councils must also navigate the risk that such records might also relate to completely different individuals. Citizens are increasingly aware of the dangers posed by data breaches, and any missteps in handling sensitive personal information could quickly result in financial repercussions and reputational damage.

The advantages of fast, secure and seamless identity verification are undeniable

With TEx, the burden of collecting, accessing, processing and storing sensitive data to enable identity verification would be removed from local government, reducing the risk of identity theft or fraud. Instead, citizens would have the power at their fingertips to verify their ID, opening access to vital local government services with as few clicks as possible. Not only would this remove barriers and simplify the user journey, but it would also reduce risk within local government, helping councils avoid costly mistakes and making sure services are delivered accurately and on time.

You only have to look at the success of myGovID over the last five years to see the success that could be replicated in the local government sector with TEx. The 2024 Digital Citizen Report found 91% have had a positive experience with the service, 83% find it trustworthy and 94% believe it makes it easier to access government services.

Having worked with councils on the frontline of digital transformation for many years, the advantages of fast, secure and seamless identity verification are undeniable. And, as new technologies emerge, citizens’ expectations around experience and speed will only continue to grow.

With a trusted and universally accepted source of truth operating behind the scenes, councils can focus their finite resource on enriching existing services. And without multiple verification hoops to jump through, citizens can focus on benefiting from those services.

Ben Malpass is local government lead at Technology One 

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