Victoria’s digital drivers licence has been given the thumbs up by an independent cyber security expert, who says trials indicate that Victorians are ready to embrace the techonology.

Victorians will have access to digital drivers licences this year following the rollout of the technology in SA, NSW and Queensland, although the government is yet to specify when this will be.

Dr Arathi Arakala from the RMIT Centre for Cyber Security, Research and Innovation says the use of digital licences during an ongoing pilot indicates Victorians are keen to take up the technology.

More than 2,500 local licence holders are participating in the trial, which was launched in the regional centre of Ballarat in mid 2023.

Benefits

Digital licences can provide better security and information protection than physical licences, which can easily be stolen, Dr Arakala says.

“Victims of identity theft and fraud have reported stolen of lost driver licence cards as the most common identity document used by perpetrators,” she says.

“The digital drivers licence is a great step forward toward a more secure and convenient licence system.

“I think its a great initiative to get the drivers licence onto phones. It’s a great supplement to the card because it’s more private and more secure than a plastic card,” she told Government News.

Similar to other states, the Victorian technology allows users to access their licence digitally via the Service Victoria and myVicRoads apps.

The system has three levels of information, enabling users to provide as much information as needed. This includes age only; photograph, full name, address and signature; and full licence including front and back view.

The digital licence also provides access to updated data from the state’s Licensing Registry data base about loss or suspension of license and change of address  and has a QR code than can be scanned by police, businesses and other authorities to verify authenticity.

The digital licence has features to protect privacy and security including a requirement to log in to the app with a pin or face ID to access it. 

Testing

Dr Arakana isn’t aware of issues that have arisen during the Ballarat trial but says the small scale pilot provides a good opportunity to identify and iron out any problems that might arise before digital licences become available through the state.

“We hope common attack points will be studied and fixed before the full rollout this year,” Dr Arakala says.

According to figures from Services Australia, 4.7 million NSW motorists have a digital licence, representing 75.3 per cent of all drivers, while more than 100,000 Queenslanders have a digital licence.

South Australia pioneered the technology in 2017.