Consultation on the Identity Verification Services Amendment (Participation Agreements) Rules 2025

Feedback updated 17 Dec 2025

We asked

Between 5 May and 2 June 2025, we held a public consultation on the Identity Verification Services Amendment (Participation Agreements) Rules 2025 (Amendment Rules). The Amendment Rules would amend the Identity Verification Services Rules 2024 (the IVS Rules) to prescribe a longer transition period for Document Verification Service (DVS) users to finalise their participation agreements with the Attorney-General’s Department.

You said

We received 14 responses through this formal consultation process. These were mostly made by or on behalf of government and private sector users of the DVS.

Thirteen of the 14 submissions strongly supported the Amendment Rules to extend the transition period for the finalisation of participation agreements. One submission was neutral.

We did

As required by paragraph 44(1B)(c) of the Identity Verification Services Act 2023 (IVS Act), the Attorney-General considered all submissions received during the consultation period.

In response to the feedback received, the Attorney-General made the Identity Verification Services Amendment (Participation Agreements) Rules 2025 (Amendment Rules). The Amendment Rules provided DVS users with enough time to update their operations to comply with obligations in the IVS Act and the participation agreements. This also enabled users to keep using the DVS, and to continue serving Australians seeking access to government and private sector services. This extended the transition deadline by 6 months, moving it from 14 June 2025 to 14 December 2025.

We will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders in administering the IVS Act, and will consider broader feedback as part of the review mechanisms under the Act.

The Amendment Rules commenced on 6 June 2025. You can access them (including the associated Explanatory Statement) on the Federal Register of Legislation.

We thank everyone who engaged with this consultation process and provided a submission.

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Overview

The Attorney-General’s Department invites submissions on the draft Identity Verification Services Amendment (Participation Agreements) Rules 2025 (Amendment Rules).

The Amendment Rules are made under the Identity Verification Services Act 2023 (the IVS Act), and would amend the Identity Verification Services Rules 2024 (IVS Rules) to prescribe a longer transition period for finalising participation agreements between Document Verification Service (DVS) users and our department.

Verifying people's identity securely and efficiently is critical to minimising the risk of identity fraud and theft. It helps protect the privacy of Australians when they seek to access government and industry services and engage with the digital economy.

Identity verification services are a national capability that allow government entities and industry to securely and efficiently verify an individual's identity with their express consent. The services are used to verify personal information on identity documents against government records, such as passports, driver licences and birth certificates. Subsection 44(1) of the IVS Act allows the Attorney-General to make rules necessary for carrying out or giving effect to the IVS Act.

The draft Amendment Rules would provide users not yet in a position to sign participation agreements with sufficient time to update their current operations to comply with obligations in participation agreements, without compromising their ability to use the DVS or disrupting services for Australians.

Why we are consulting

Paragraph 44(1B) (a) of the IVS Act requires the Attorney-General to publicly consult on draft amendments to the IVS Rules for at least 28 days, by publishing the draft amendments and inviting submissions.

Consultation documents

We have prepared a fact sheet that provides an overview of each part of the draft Amendment Rules. We encourage you to download, read and refer to this fact sheet in conjunction with the draft Amendment Rules when preparing your submission.

We encourage you to also consult the Privacy Collection Notice, which sets out how the department collects and uses your personal information.

How to make a submission

You can provide a submission in response to the draft Amendment Rules by clicking the ‘Have your say – Make a submission’ link below. You are welcome to make your submission using the free-text box, or you can upload a PDF of your submission.

Interests

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