Australia-New Zealand agreement to help combat identity crime

  • Peter Dunne
Internal Affairs

Australia and New Zealand have struck a new agreement which will enable government agencies and businesses to electronically verify official government issued identity documents in either country.

This will help organisations to offer more efficient online services and to promote cross-border travel, migration and commerce.

Importantly, the agreement will also help to better protect the more than 600,000 New Zealanders settled in Australia and the 65,000 Australians in New Zealand from the destructive effects of identity crime. 

Identity crime is one of the key enablers of serious and organised crime. It affects up to 900,000 Australians each year and costs Australia around $2 billion per year. Up to 133,000 New Zealanders experience identity crime resulting in a financial loss, costing New Zealand around $209 million each year.

The Australian Document Verification Service (DVS) is a national online system that allows organisations to compare a customer's identifying information with a government record in a secure manner.

Through the DVS, organisations can verify select government records issued by Australian governments, such as passports, Medicare cards, visas and driver licences. The DVS is administered by the Attorney-General’s Department and is operational 24 hours, seven days a week.

Similarly, the New Zealand Confirmation Service, operated by the Department of Internal Affairs, is a secure, electronic method for organisations to quickly confirm the accuracy and validity of identity information issued by the New Zealand Government in a privacy-protective manner.

Through the confirmation service, organisations can verify passports, birth certificates and citizenship certificates.

We thank state and territory governments for their cooperation in expanding the DVS service to New Zealand organisations.

For more information on how Australian organisations can access the DVS, visit www.dvs.gov.au. For more information on how New Zealand organisations can access the Confirmation Service, contact info@dia.govt.nz.