'Ridiculous': Frustration over major flaw with digital licences
Disgruntled residents in South Australia have hit out at what they say is a flaw in the state’s new digital driver’s licence scheme.
The state was the first in the country to bring in a digital ID in 2017 which people can access via an app on their smartphone.
However some who have signed up to the system report encountering problems when trying to use the digital ID as verification.
On social media, users have complained about inconsistencies in the rollout, saying they have been unable to use the digital ID at local businesses including liquor stores, car-hire organisations and even Australia Post, the ABC reported.
“So you can't buy alcohol from a store, but can get into a nightclub with this form of ID and drink anyway? Where's the sense in that? Ridiculous,” one person posted.
Digital passes and licences displayed in the mySA GOV app are an electronic form of your existing physical licence and are valid credentials, according to the state government.
But some businesses are still not set up to accept them, critics lament.
The licences can be scanned to verify their authenticity, but businesses – including major retailers like Coles (which also owns Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor) – don’t have the technology in stores to do so.
“Currently Coles Liquor in South Australia does not accept digital versions of identification,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to Yahoo News Australia.
“The only way to verify that the South Australian digital ID is valid is to scan it using the mySA GOV app on a mobile device, which is linked to a mySA GOV account.
“Our liquor stores do not currently have a mobile device in place to complete this verification.”
As for Australia Post, it has its own version called Digital iD, which operates in every state and territory except South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia.
Carry your physical licence ‘just in case’
As South Australian businesses are quick to point out, it is not a government requirement for retailers to accept digital passes and licences.
Until more retailers come on board, the public are urged to carry their physical license with them.
“While digital passes and licences are now available in South Australia, some organisations and businesses may not be set up to validate your digital pass or licence,” the mySA GOV website says.
“An organisation or business may request that you present your physical licence, so it is recommended that you continue to carry your physical licence with you just in case, especially when you travel interstate or overseas.”
NSW was due to begin rolling out its version of digital licences in August after two years of trials, but the opt-in scheme was delayed and pushed back to “late 2019”.
“The digital driver licence is a legal form of ID which can be used for licensed venues as well as for roadside police checks,” NSW MP Anna Watson said in July following “successful” trials.
“Although encouraged – there will be no penalty for not carrying your plastic license card if you have a digital license available,” she said.
Earlier this month, the Queensland government announced the regional towns of Maryborough and Hervey Bay will play host to the state’s first digital licence trials, due to commence later this year.
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