The federal government’s myGov app, which has provided Australians with digital government services such as Centrelink, Medicare and the tax office, is being flagged for a revamp. 

Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten said he envisaged a simple, go-to digital wallet where Australians only needed one password to access their information.  

“People don’t have to remember all their passwords and have to deal with multiple government accounts,” he said, emphasizing that driver’s licences and other services could be added to the app to have 100 points of ID available and easily accessible on your phone.  

“My hope is, the vision is, that you’ve got sufficient ID in your government wallet that you can show a private sector business … and you don’t actually have to transfer your data.” 

Check out: Macquarie Government renews cyber security deal with ATO 

Medicare cards are expected to be available digitally in March, and the myGov app’s usability, response time, and access to information will all be improved until then.  

David Thodey, who chaired the audit into myGov, says there’s no evidence having data on an app instead of through other portals increases the risk of fraud.  

“The multi-factor authentication that we have within the myGov ID, and you use both the phone and you use other authentication, means that we think the incidence of fraud can be brought down,” he said. 

Mr Thodey also stated that continued investment in cybersecurity is needed, with 60 per cent of Australians accessing myGov through their phones.  

“Going digital is a critical part of delivering better services but it does create risk around identity management, identity theft (and) privacy,” he said. 

“I feel pretty positive. That’s not to say we don’t have risk and things could happen, but it’s how you manage risk and how you respond to it.” 

Check out: Robodebt scheme not reviewed due to ‘stretched resources’ 

The audit recommends legislating myGov as a national service delivery infrastructure to create greater oversight and accountability as well as implementing a five-year rolling plan updated annually. 

The federal government will be considering the audit’s recommendations. 

With AAP 

Eliza Sayon

Website | + posts

Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

• Developing an effective data ecosystem
• The journey of building an ecosystem through data
• NZ government strengthens data privacy laws against third parties
• eSafety Commissioner issues legal notice against Twitter