DRIVER LICENSES

Victoria is set to offer motorists the option to carry their driver’s license on their phone, it has been announced.

The state responsible for the world’s longest lockdown will begin a mobile driver’s license trial in Ballarat, before a statewide roll-out by 2024. Users must provide a PIN or biometric authentication to access the digital license.

The Andrews’ government says this ‘secure digital version’ of their driver’s license will be accessible through the Service Victoria or the my VicRoads apps, with full license holders from Ballarat invited to sign up for the pilot in June.

The trial will start in July, says the government.

Soon you'll be able to add your digital licence to the Service Victoria app.

From July, full licence holders in Ballarat will be able to join a trial of digital licences, and we'll roll it out statewide by 2024.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) May 8, 2023

According to Minister for Government Services, Danny Pearson, the card will have ‘advanced security features’, including a “constantly refreshed QR code” and the pitch that “customers can control the level of shared personal information”.

The government says the digital license automatically updates in response to changes such as new license conditions or a change of address, and can quickly reveal whether the license has been revoked or suspended.

The digital license can also be used for identification purposes or to prove that a person is over 18.

“We know Victorians are calling out for more cards to be added to the Service Victoria wallet and that is why we are thrilled that the digital driver licence will soon be added,” Pearson says.

Yes, I’m sure they were all crying out for it..

The government will seek feedback from the pilot in Ballarat from motorists, retailers, licensed venues, Victoria Police and other authorities to “ensure accessibility and security of personal information”.

Victoria joins many other Australian states that have either made the move to digital license options, or are also making the transition as we speak.

There will soon be nowhere to live in Australia without the option of a biometric-powered ‘smart’ license.

FOLLOWING THE REST

The digital license move is a key step in Australia’s move towards digital identification systems, including plans by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) to make identities and individuals more monitored, observable and ‘accountable’.

And it is a national agenda at play here.

In a similar fashion to Victoria, the Western Australian government recently announced a digital driver’s licence linked through the ServiceWA app will be unveiled in the upcoming state budget.

Two local firms, GenVis and Adapptor, are said to have been contracted to the tune of $3 million to develop a digital credentials capability for the ServiceWA app.

And these two states are far behind in the digital state race.

Queensland became the first state to begin progressively replacing millions laminated drivers’ licenses with smartcards that use facial recognition technology over a decade ago, supplied by company Unisys.

The apps update in real time to show if a licence has been suspended or expired, revealing various statistics such as demerit points and fines, and has a “shake” feature to show the licence is not a screenshot.

South Australia became the next to offer the option of holding a digital driver’s license in October 2017, following successful trials of digital Proof of Age cards, boat licences, land agent and land sale registrations and vehicle registrations.

In NSW, digital driver licenses were trialled in November 2019, just a few months before lockdowns would kick off.

Digital licences introduced in New South Wales

Then, in 2020, it was revealed that over 50,000 motorists had their sensitive information exposed through an unsecure cloud storage site that was ran by Amazon, highlighting the dangers of such a digital transition.