Western Australia adding digital credentials to ServiceWA platform

More digital credentials will soon be included to ServiceWA, a government service mobile application of the Australian State of Western Australia as part of a countrywide digital innovation effort.

Two local firms, GenVis and Adapptor, are said to have been contracted to the tune of $3 million Australian (US$2 million) to develop a digital credentials capability for the ServiceWA app, along with a digital wallet and the ability to search for occupational licenses, according to a spokesman for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet quoted by InnovationAus.

ServiceWA was launched in January last year and a number of other features such as FuelWatch, Unclaimed Money, SharkSmart, Weather Stations, and a feature to send alerts for Emergency WA bushfires, have progressively been added to it, writes the tech publication.

Other features such as proof of vaccine, check-ins at businesses and venues, and access to G2G Pass for convenient interstate travel were among the pioneer features of the app.

The current contract is part of plans by the state government to enrich the smartphone application by the close of this year with additional features for credentials like seniors’ cards, licences for recreational boat and fishing activities as well as information on the emergency department wait times.

Face biometrics provider GenVis has been a tech partner of the state for years, having also been handed a three-year contract in 2020 to work on SafeWA, an app which was developed in the heat of the coronavirus pandemic for biometric monitoring. A support and maintenance contract currently held by the firm comes to an end early next year.

The myGovID digital ID is required to access the ServiceWA app.

The refurbishing of the ServiceWA app comes as other states in the country including New South Wales (NSW) are working to increase the level of integration of their respective applications with functionalities of myGov. NSW in this light recently concluded a partnership for its digital ID and verifiable credentials program.

Western Australia last year unveiled a list of public services it intends to improve within the framework of its digital development strategy.

Article Topics

Australia  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  face biometrics  |  GenVis  |  government purchasing  |  mobile app