All 195 countries · Australia and New Zealand
Australia
Australia has no national ID card. A voluntary Digital ID Act took effect in December 2024, and private firms may join the government digital ID system from 30 November 2026. The Reserve Bank is testing wholesale digital money but found no case for a retail CBDC. The WHO's 2024 IHR amendments took effect for Australia in September 2025, and the pandemic agreement is not yet binding on it.
Digital ID · Goal 16.9
Digital ID in Australia
- Program
- myID; Australian Government Digital ID System (AGDIS)
- Status
- Available, partial uptake
- National ID card
- No national ID card
- Biometrics
- No
- Law
- Digital ID Act 2024 (commenced 1 December 2024)
There is no national ID card. The Digital ID Act 2024 created a voluntary accreditation scheme and put the ACCC in charge as Digital ID Regulator, with the OAIC as privacy regulator. Participation is described as voluntary. Today only government or government-owned entities can join the AGDIS; private-sector entities can apply from 30 November 2026.
Digital money · Goal 8.10
Central bank digital currency
- Status
- Research
The RBA and Treasury found no clear public-interest case for a retail CBDC in 2024 and shifted to wholesale work. Project Acacia tested wholesale digital money and tokenised assets; its final report was reported in May 2026. Australia has not launched a retail CBDC.
On the record
What has happened, newest first
- 2026-01-01Pushback
Rules took effect requiring fuel and grocery retailers to accept cash, for in-person payments up to $500, with an exemption for small businesses under $10 million turnover. Treasury — Mandating cash acceptance ↗
- 2025-11-26Pushback
A parliamentary treaties committee backed the IHR amendments, while Coalition members added comments seeking stronger safeguards on sovereignty, accountability, cost and free expression. Parliament of Australia — JSCOT report, Coalition additional comments ↗
- 2025-09-19Rolling it out
The 2024 IHR amendments entered into force for Australia, according to the Department of Health. Dept of Health — About global health reforms ↗
- 2024-12-01Rolling it out
The Digital ID Act 2024 began, creating a legal framework for the government digital ID system. Allens — Australia's Digital ID Act ↗
UN and WHO
How Australia has voted
- WHO
- Accepted the 2024 rule changes
- Pandemic Agreement (May 2025)
- No recorded objection
- Migration compact (Dec 2018)
- Abstained
- Paris climate deal
- Party
- SDG Index 2026
- 79.0 · rank 29 of 169
- Progress reports to the UN (VNRs)
- 1
Sovereignty score
How the -1 adds up
- -1Prices carbon nationally (tax or emissions trading) source ↗
Points come only from public, sourced actions we track, scored the same way for every country. It isn't a grade of a whole government. How scoring works →
People pushing back
Groups and cases in Australia
- Coalition members, Joint Standing Committee on TreatiesFiled additional comments to the November 2025 IHR report asking for safeguards on sovereignty, finances and free expression before any further commitments. source ↗
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