NSW Parliament approves legal foundation for identity fraud protections, resources

Legislation passed in New South Wales, Australia will introduce new protections and boost existing measures against identity theft and fraud, as the state and country charge ahead with digital ID adoption in the face of a series of data breaches.

NSW Parliament passed the “Identity Protection and Recovery Bill” on Tuesday, which is also referred to as the “ID Support Bill” because it provides a legal foundation for identity theft resource ID Support NSW.

The resource includes a Compromised Identity Register that government agencies and accredited organizations can check to prevent being defrauded by criminals using compromised credentials or identity data. ID Support will also add ID documents known or suspected to be compromised to its register and inform the individual and issuing authority. Organizations that suffer a data breach can share information with the system to reduce the risk of harm. The Register is currently being built, and the government plans to launch in in 2026.

ID Support already provided assistance or information to 75,000 people in 2024-25 to help them deal with identity misuse and data compromises, according to the announcement.

A new fraud check service will also be created to contact potential victims of identity theft and flag suspicious activities while they can still be stopped.

“These new laws allow us to offer a lifeline to individuals caught up in a data breach. They highlight the importance the Minns Labor Government places on protecting people from identity theft and scams,” says NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib. “Under the legislation, ID Support NSW can provide swift assistance to public and private entities when data breaches occur.”

An NSW Digital ID and NSW Digital Wallet are part of the state’s overall digital strategy, and it is one of several states in Australia currently working through the growing pains of early mDL adoption.

Article Topics

Australia  |  digital ID  |  ID Support NSW  |  identity theft  |  legislation  |  New South Wales (NSW)