The Face Matching Services (FMS) have been developed to protect Australians from identity crime, and provide law enforcement and security agencies with a new investigative tool to stay ahead of criminals who try to circumvent Australia’s identity checking processes.

One in four Australians will be a victim of identity crime at some point in their lives, costing the Australian economy more than an estimated $2 billion per year.

The Australian Government has introduced the Identity-matching Services Bill 2019 into Parliament to provide additional privacy safeguards and greater transparency over the operation of the FMS, including the National Driver Licence Facial Recognition Solution (NDLFRS).

As part of the FMS, states and territories have agreed to provide driver licence images to the NDLFRS. This has now started with Tasmania and Victoria providing their images, as part of a phased roll-out over two years. The NDLFRS is hosted by the Department of Home Affairs in line with an intergovernmental agreement signed by the Council of Australian Governments in 2017.

Each state or territory’s driver licence data will only be shared with other agencies through the FMS once the state or territory agrees to do so.

A new website—www.idmatch.gov.au—will provide the community with more information on the FMS and play an important role in informing the Australian community about how the FMS work, and how their personal information is shared and protected.

For more information visit www.idmatch.gov.au.