The idea that Australia needs a single, universal identification number is “dead in the water”, according to GBG’s head of data innovation Michael Harmer, who says the country’s advanced identity infrastructure already provides world-class trust and security without the need for a national ID.
In a conversation on InnovationAus.com’s Commercial Disco podcast, Mr Harmer said Australia’s approach — built on secure access to government-verified identity documents and systems like the Document Verification Service (DVS) — offers a robust alternative to the kind of centralised identifier once proposed.
“The idea that we need a single ID number for every individual is probably dead in the water,” Mr Harmer said. “Australia has moved beyond that — what matters is having high-assurance systems for proving identity, and we have them.”
Mr Harmer said the DVS was a turning point in national identity management, enabling service providers to verify customer documents against government records in real time and with high confidence.
This, he said, laid the foundation for a decentralised but highly effective digital identity model that is now being extended under the Albanese government’s Digital ID Act and $288 million in new funding.
“Australia stands out globally because of the quality and accessibility of its government-backed data for identity verification,” he said. “That level of trust and assurance has been foundational to the development of a secure and innovative digital economy.”
As head of data innovation at global identity verification firm GBG, Mr Harmer oversees systems that verify more than 800 million people annually. He said Australia consistently ranks as one of the most advanced countries in terms of verifiable digital ID infrastructure.
One area where this innovation is expanding is the convergence of identity and location data for fraud detection. Mr Harmer pointed to behavioural risk analytics that flag inconsistencies between an individual’s claimed identity and the locations or methods they use to access services.
“Context is everything in identity,” he said. “If someone is logging in from a location that doesn’t make sense for them, or suddenly using new verification methods, that raises a red flag. It’s not just about who you are — it’s also about how, where, and when you’re proving it.”
With the government exploring new rules to verify age on digital platforms, Mr Harmer also noted the difficulty of securely identifying minors online, particularly without compromising privacy.
“There’s a policy balance to strike — protecting vulnerable users without over-collecting data or flagging false positives,” he said.
Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.