Federal and state data ministers sign off on device reuse principles and launch review of national data sharing agreement

Federal and state data and digital ministers met by videoconference and on Thursday published a joint communiqué outlining a set of governance and technical moves intended to expand digital inclusion and tighten identity protections across Australia.

What ministers agreed

The meeting, covering Commonwealth and state and territory ministers responsible for data and digital policy, endorsed a set of National Device Reuse Principles aimed at encouraging secure and sustainable donation and reuse of government information technology equipment. Ministers said the measures are intended to make surplus government devices available for vulnerable Australians while limiting privacy and security risks that reuse can bring.

Ministers also agreed to commence a five year review of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Data Sharing, and endorsed terms of reference for that review. Officials will be asked to report on progress under the national data sharing work program and to bring recommendations back to ministers before the end of 2026.

Identity protection measures highlighted

The Attorney General updated ministers on developments in Australia’s identity protection framework. Ministers noted that the Credential Protection Register, which blocks the use of compromised identity documents for verification, has stopped hundreds of thousands of fraudulent verification attempts since it was established. The communiqué states the register has successfully blocked more than 830,000 fraudulent identity verification requests since late 2022.

Ministers discussed opportunities to increase voluntary adoption of the Credential Protection Register in their jurisdictions and were briefed on IDLock, the myGov linked service the government is developing to give individuals direct control over how their identity documents are used. The government says IDLock will let people block, unblock and monitor eligible documents, and will be rolled out initially to early access users ahead of a wider national launch next year.

Focus on First Nations connectivity and disability data arrangements

Ministers noted work led by the federal minister for regional communications and NBN Co to support affordable and appropriate connectivity for remote First Nations communities. That work is being aligned with the First Nations Digital Inclusion Roadmap and the refresh of Target 17 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which aims to reduce digital inclusion gaps for First Nations Australians.

The meeting also considered consequences for the National Disability Data Asset and the Australian National Data Integration Infrastructure following government decisions related to data access. Ministers noted a pivot to a new delivery model for the National Disability Data Asset and asked officials to brief relevant boards and committees about the implications for multilateral data sharing arrangements.

Why these decisions matter

The package of measures brings together three converging policy goals: widening access to digital tools, reducing fraud and identity crime, and reforming the rules and systems that let governments share and reuse data. The device reuse principles are a practical attempt to reuse existing public resources to reduce digital exclusion, while the identity protections aim to shift some control over identity verification to individuals rather than relying only on issuer driven blacklists.

At the same time, the decision to review the Intergovernmental Agreement on Data Sharing signals a recognition that current arrangements are not delivering the level of responsible data sharing policy makers expected. The statutory review of the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022, discussed at the meeting, found the law had been difficult to use and recommended reforms. Ministers said no data has been shared under the Act to date, and the review will inform changes to reduce complexity and boost legitimate data reuse for public purpose work.

Practical effects and next steps

The communiqué requires officials to prepare work program updates and reports to ministers before the end of 2026, including a performance review of the national data sharing work program. For individuals, the most tangible near term change will be the phased rollout of IDLock through myGov, which intends to let people monitor and control verification uses of documents such as driver licences and passports.

For government agencies and suppliers, the National Device Reuse Principles set out obligations and controls to keep sensitive data secure when devices are donated or repurposed. Agencies will need to adopt secure sanitisation and transfer procedures to qualify for participation in device reuse programs.

What remains uncertain

The communiqué leaves several implementation details unresolved. The timeline for a full national rollout of IDLock beyond initial testing cohorts was not changed at the meeting. Ministers also endorsed the start of the five year review of the data sharing agreement, but any concrete legislative or administrative changes will depend on the review findings and further ministerial decisions. Finally, while ministers supported greater voluntary adoption of the Credential Protection Register, uptake by some jurisdictions and private sector verifiers will be a practical test of whether the register can reduce identity crime without causing frictions for legitimate identity transactions.

Ministers said they will continue to engage with stakeholders, including First Nations representatives, disability sector bodies and identity system operators, as they take the next steps toward implementation.