Even licences are going digital.
Following their 2015 election promise, the NSW state government will begin introducing digital licences, with the first batch available to download from the middle of next year.
The four year initiative, which the NSW Minister of Finance and Services Dominic Perrottet is expected to announce on Wednesday, is an effort to move away from the current plastic cards.
“Customers are doing more and more transactions on their smartphones,” Perrottet said. “From cafes to banks, businesses are offering their customers the opportunity to access their services, loyalty programs and payment systems through smartphone apps.
“While the private sector has shifted to digital, the NSW government must do the same.”
The first licences to be available on smartphones will be responsible service of alcohol (RSA) and responsible conduct of gambling (RCG) licences, as well as recreational fishing licences.
The transition will make NSW one of the first places in the world to give residents the option of displaying their licences on their smartphone.
As it will be an opt-in system, physical licences will still be available.
There does remain a question about the safety of storing such important details on handsets, but it is expected that Mr Perrottet will launch “security safeguards” in an effort to verify validity.
And, as security expert Troy hunt points out to The Sydney Morning Herald, a huge amount of our information is already online.
“Our licensing data already exists online (you can check your demerit points via the RTA website), plus we’ve seen many cases of fraud with physical licenses.”
The move, which Premier Mike Baird’s government predict will save tens of millions of dollars, could see digital driver’s licenses available as early as 2018.
