Victoria is following NSW and Queensland in announcing its intention to roll out a digital driver’s licence next year.
In a statement, the minister for roads and road safety Melissa Horne said the Victorian government would commence a trial in the regional city of Ballarat starting in June 2023.
The government said the licence will include real-time updates to changes in information, such as new licence conditions, address changes, or revocation/suspension.
An inactive licence will still be usable for proof of identity or age.
The government said that licence data will be protected by a “highly secure, timed QR code”, so that licence validators (including businesses) can verify the authenticity of a licence.
As well as drivers, the trial will seek feedback from those validating digital licences, including “retailers, licensed venues, Victoria Police and places where a licence is used as proof of identity”.
Only full licence holders will be offered the trial, and drivers will still be able to use their physical licence.
"We know Victorians want digital driver's licences and that’s why this trial is such a big step before further rollout occurs", Horne said.
“A digital driver's licence will make it easier and more convenient for Victorian motorists and it will help businesses and authorities to verify identity with minimum time and fuss.”
NSW launched its digital licence in 2019, and more than 2 million were downloaded in the first year.
In April this year, the Queensland government announced that a redesigned digital driver’s licence trial was underway in Townsville in the far north of the state.
