The government’s digital ID program is ramping up as legislation is on the horizon.

The federal government has issued an open invitation to businesses interested in providing feedback and comments on Australia’s federated digital identification system ahead of the system’s planned expansion, which will take place next year.

In order to determine what services private sector organisations are interested in having accredited under the trusted digital identity framework (TDIF), an expression of interest (EOI) is being sought. You can do so by clicking here.

It comes at a time when the government is preparing to adopt legislation that will allow the private sector and state governments to participate in the system while also ensuring that personal information is protected.

The administration had hoped to introduce the legislation by the end of 2021, but with parliament having adjourned for the year, this will not happen until the middle of February in 2022, according to the AP. Job creation minister Stuart Robert said in a statement last week that the EOI was intended to “raise awareness of [the digital identification] system and the certification procedure.” He stated that businesses that expressed an interest were establishing a “direct conduit into the government’s digital identification initiative,” which would help them to have a deeper understanding of the system.

During the time that we are working on critical enabling legislation, I encourage firms to express their interest and engage constructively,” Robert said in a statement. In order to maintain and improve a true economy-wide system that delivers greater identity security, easier and more secure access to services, improved and more efficient interactions for both individuals and enterprises, we must first establish a genuine economy-wide system.

The EOI is being used to solicit responses from companies interested in establishing themselves as identity providers, attribute service providers, credential service providers, identity exchanges, or as relying parties. It is possible that enterprises from areas such as “education, financial services, employment, and government issuers of licence and certifications” will fall into this category, according to the Digital Transformation Agency. However, the EOI cautioned that accreditation under the TDIF or onboarding are not guaranteed as a result of the EOI. The Digital Transactions Authority (DTA) stated that the passage of the Trusted Digital Identity Bill is necessary to allow onboarding to the system to grow beyond Australian Government services to include states, territories, and the commercial sector.

There will be a separate approach to the market in the future when it comes to the participation of the private sector in the system. In August, the identity verification company OCR Labs became the first private sector organisation to be authorised by the TDIF, and in September, EFTPOS became the first digital identity exchange operator to receive accreditation. Since 2017, the Australian Taxation Office and Australia Post have both been accredited as identity providers under the Privacy Act.