More

    AUSkey is dead, replaced by myGovID – “It’s like having 100 points of ID on your phone”

    The challenge of verifying who you are online is a challenging one. The previous authentication method was AUSkey which the Government has announced is being terminated, as of March 2020.

    Authenticating yourself to Government services is incredibly important as it involves Government services that deal with business operations, tax, trade, financial services and more.

    AUSkey was used for a lot of Government services, some of the most important being:

    • Austrade – An Australian Government financial assistance program for current and aspiring exporters.
    • Australian Business Register (ABR) – Businesses and organisations can update their ABN details online.
    • Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – Business reporting tools for lodging financial reporting documents.
    • Australian Taxation Office (ATO) – Several tax functions to be completed online.
    • Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – Holders of telecommunications carrier licences can lodge their eligible revenue return to ACMA online.
    • Department of Health – Access for Australian Government-funded aged care service providers. Organisations must be registered to access the service provider portal.
    • Department of Human Services – Centrelink Services – Employers can lodge Paid Parental form online.
    • Department of Industry – Allows Automotive Transformation Scheme (ATS) participants to submit Quarterly Returns and Third Quarter Business Plan Updates online.
    • The full list is avaialable here.

    At the end of March 2020, myGovID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM), will be replaced by myGovID.

    myGovID is the Australian Government’s digital identity provider to prove who you are online. It’s like the 100 point ID check, but on your smartphone. It is important to point out, this is different than a myGov account.

    What you need to do

    To continue using the Government services, you’ll need to download the myGovID app to your iOS or Android device (iOS 10 or Android 7.0 or later). It is worth noting that as you are authenticating you individually, you will need a single email address for the account creation.

    You will need to upload your identity documents to validate and prove you are who you say you are. Once you have created the account, you can think of this app as the ultimate MFA security device.

    The basic steps are

    1. Get your digital Identity
    2. Set up your business
    3. Authorise others

    Using what they call a Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM), you can nominate the principal authority to act on behalf of a business. The RAM will allow you to create associates between your ABN and myGovIDs.

    While this is a fairly aggressive timeline for a change of this importance, I don’t think anyone particularly liked AUSkey, it required you to install software on your computer or use a USB stick to save your key. Using a modern solution like a mobile app to prove who you are is a much better solution.

    To learn more check out abr.gov.au/mynewkey

    AUSkey and Manage ABN Connections will continue to be supported while you move to myGovID and RAM.

    Jason Cartwright
    Jason Cartwrighthttps://techau.com.au/author/jason/
    Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis. Disclaimer: Tesla Shareholder from 20/01/2021

    3 COMMENTS

    1. You mean it’s like having a tracking device connected to the government on your phone…. how about a bit more critical thinking instead of just reproducing the press release.

    2. Sadly the application itself is terribly flaky, the scanning only works sometimes, it frequently “forgets” who you are so you have to go through the whole re-registration process repeatedly (including RAM), if you get one item wrong in the process you have to redo totally from the start, the online support is non-existent and the phone support terrible.

      And the most common error message — “0001 – Unknown Error”.

    3. This is a very bad system it just doesn’t work. when I open my GovID on my phone it was asking “Accept or enter the code” It just got stuck there. I try to do it so many times, it took me 6 hours with no result.

    Leave a Reply

    Ads

    Latest posts

    Reviews

    Related articles

    techAU