PNG strengthens digital ID ties with Australia, updates policy draft

Papua New Guinea (PNG) authorities are bolstering their digital cooperation partnership with Australia as their country is in the process of implementing a Digital Identity and Trust Framework.

Strategies to leverage this partnership in driving the rollout of SevisPass digital ID were at the center of discussions when the PNG delegation, led by ICT Minister Timothy Masiu, met with Australian officials in Canberra recently.

According to information from the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DICT), members of the two delegations discussed how PNG can be supported in its quest to modernize it public service delivery system.

During the exchange visit, the PNG team had discussions with different officials including the Minister for Communications and Sports of Australia, Hon. Anika Wells, and the Minister for Pacific Islands Affairs, Hon. Pat Conroy. They also shared thoughts with the Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government of the State of New South Wales.

“Our focus is building secure, inclusive and efficient digital services—and we are working towards a converged Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Development that will align our efforts with Australia across multiple domains,” Masiu was quoted as saying.

They sufficiently discussed the SevisPass digital ID which is meant to streamline access to public and private sector services, and enhance government efficiency in many domains including social protection, finance, healthcare and education, to mention a few.

Both parties say the envisaged MoU being drafted will outline how their joint efforts can help facilitate the rollout of the SevisPass national digital ID, cloud migration and cybersecurity operations, digital infrastructure development and regulatory reforms, as well as digital service delivery and modernization of the public sector.

While hailing the gains of the existing partnership as seen in projects like the RAPID cybersecurity initiative, Masiu believes strengthening the cooperation will bear more fruits including in the area of digital connectivity where early discussions about an undersea cable project took place.

“Digital infrastructure and digital identity are foundational. These tools will shape how our people interact with government—and how we, as a nation, compete in a connected region. This visit has helped solidify our digital cooperation with Australia, especially as we integrate technologies that improve transparency, efficiency, and accountability across government,” Masiu added.

The visit to Australia comes at a time when the PNG government says it has incorporated all public comments submitted to the Digital ID policy draft which it recently finalized.

In an announcement from the DICT, the update has given rise to Version 7.2 of the policy document which will be presented and discussed during a July 15 workshop that will examine the implementation strategy and roadmap of the project.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  government services  |  Papua New Guinea  |  SevisPass