Scott Morrison’s Australian government has shared some more details about its anticipated digital business plan, which will allocate $800 million to help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister’s proposal includes funds for digital transformation, and for the creation of a face-based authentication system for citizens using Australia’s MyGov portal.
On that front, the government confirmed that it plans to create legislation that would allow private entities to take advantage of the facial recognition system. However, it did indicate that the technology would be opt-in, largely in an effort to mitigate potential privacy concerns. As it stands, approximately 1.6 million citizens and 1.16 million Australian businesses are using digital identity tools to access as many as 70 different services.
As it relates to digital transformation, the plan will force all federal agencies to switch to electronic billing by the middle of 2022, though larger agencies will be expected to complete the transition sometime in 2021. Finally, the government will consider making some of its COVID-19 changes permanent, most notably the changes to the Corporations Act that allowed organizations to hold virtual meetings and to e-sign documents.
“The plan supports Australia’s economic recovery by removing out-dated regulatory barriers, boosting the capability of small businesses, and backs the uptake of technology across the economy,” said Prime Minister Morrison.
It is worth noting that the Morrison plan is facing some pushback after the government cut funding for jobseeker and job-keeper payments. His critics argue that the government is not providing enough economic support for those unemployed during the recession, and that the new proposal will not create enough jobs to make up the shortfall.
The government is also expected to move forward with a review of its payment architecture as it tries to keep pace with the latest technology advancements.
Source: The Guardian
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October 5, 2020 – by Eric Weiss
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