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22/12/2024

21 June 2024

DATA AND DIGITAL MINISTERS MEETING 
COMMUNIQUÉ
21 JUNE 2024

Data and Digital Ministers convened in Darwin today. The following Ministers attended:

  • Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher (Commonwealth)
  • The Hon Bill Shorten MP (Commonwealth)
  • The Hon Jihad Dib MP (New South Wales)
  • The Hon Gabrielle Williams MP (Victoria)
  • The Hon Bart Mellish MP (Queensland)
  • The Hon Stephen Dawson MLC (Western Australia)
  • Mr Chris Steel MLA (Australian Capital Territory)
  • The Hon Selena Uibo MLA (Northern Territory)

The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Ms Dot West OAM and Dr Lyndon Ormond-Parker also attended the meeting.

The Hon Stephen Mullighan MP (South Australia), the Hon Eric Abetz MP (Tasmania) and the Hon Judith Collins KC MP (New Zealand) were apologies for the meeting. These jurisdictions were represented by officials.

Family and Domestic Violence

The Commonwealth and Victoria will lead work to improve information sharing across systems and jurisdictions about perpetrators of family and domestic violence. Ministers agreed this is a high priority. Data and Digital Ministers will provide advice to National Cabinet on how to improve information sharing on perpetrators and will work with Women and Women’s Safety Ministers on this advice.

Digital Inclusion

Ministers noted work underway in collaboration with the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group to improve digital inclusion outcomes for First Nations people, consistent with Target 17 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap: “By 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion”. Ministers welcomed achievements to date to address digital inclusion and noted more needed to be done. Ministers supported work being led by Minister Rowland to review the Universal Service Obligation, improve the National Messaging System and implement the School Student Broadband Initiative.

Ministers are committed to ensuring all Australians are able to easily and safely access services using a Digital ID. Ministers launched a project to assist Australians, particularly First Nations people, to use alternative ways to identify who they are to create a Digital ID, should they choose to do so.

Modernising Australia’s ID System

Ministers agreed a Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy and common standards for verifiable credentials. The Strategy provides a framework for all governments to ensure a fast, secure, and seamless experience for Australians to access government services online. Ministers remain committed to individual control over personal information through secure, portable, convenient, voluntary, and inclusive Digital IDs and verifiable credentials.

Ministers noted the enactment of the Digital ID legislation by the Commonwealth Parliament in May 2024. Building on the Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy, the Commonwealth, working with jurisdictions, will bring forward a further plan to Data and Digital Ministers by the end of 2024 to support adoption of Digital ID economy wide. It will enable more services to be accredited under the Digital ID legislation and to join the Australian Government Digital ID System.

Artificial Intelligence

Ministers endorsed the National Framework for the Assurance of Artificial Intelligence in government. The framework will align governments' use of AI to ensure ethical, transparent adoption that puts the rights, well-being and interests of Australians first. All Ministers committed to flexibility, responsiveness and continued collaboration on their approach to AI assurance.

National Life Events Program

Ministers discussed opportunities to drive projects that help Australians easily find and receive information to make it easier to do what they need to, across all levels of government. To this end, Ministers agreed to commence a proof of concept life events-based checklist in the myGov app.

New Zealand is not a party to this communiqué.

Information on the Data and Digital Ministers Meeting, including previous meeting communiqués, can be found at www.finance.gov.au/government/public-data/data-and-digital-ministers-meeting. 

 

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