The Australian Government Information Management Office Archive

Introduction

As Internet usage continues to grow, government agencies will increasingly want to make more services available online. However, providing services via the Web requires consideration of many issues. One of the most important of these is authentication: making sure that clients are who they claim to be. Authentication has always been an issue when providing government services, but online authentication presents a fresh set of challenges.

This guide provides managers in government agencies with an understanding of authentication issues to be considered when delivering government services online. It will provide you with a basic insight into the need for authentication, examine options available and discuss the selection and implementation of appropriate options. This guide is not intended to be a technical reference, but it will help you assess authentication options as part of agency planning.

More detailed information can be found on the websites mentioned throughout this guide. Please contact NOIE on (02) 6271 1531 for further information.

1.1 National Office for the Information Economy

The National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE) is Australia's lead Commonwealth agency for information economy issues. It was established in 1997.

NOIE is helping Australians create a world-class online economy and society through its work developing, overseeing and coordinating Commonwealth Government policy on electronic commerce, online services and the Internet.

NOIE has direct responsibility for the development and coordination of advice to the government on information economy issues, including:

• The drivers of broadband;
• Economic transformation through better Information & Communications Technology (ICT) use economy-wide;
• Transforming government information, services and administration through use of ICT;
• Long term strategic environment for the ICT industry;
• Accelerating the uptake of e-business and e-procurement by SMEs; and
• Implementing our parts of the e-Security National Agenda.

In addition, it will be responsible for the promotion - domestically - of the benefits of the information economy and Australia's position within it.

NOIE aims to promote and facilitate understanding of authentication for use in government to business, government to government and business to business e-commerce communications. It aims to ensure authentication is broadly accepted as a critical element for secure and trustworthy e-commerce communications.

A related document to this guide provides advice and assistance about authentication to small businesses operating in an online environment. Trusting the Internet, produced by the National Electronic Authentication Council (NEAC), is available at www.noie.gov.au. The NEAC was established in 1999 by the Government to enhance business and consumer confidence in e-commerce by providing a national focal point on authentication matters.

NOIE also supports the operations of the Online Council, which is the peak ministerial forum across Commonwealth, State and Territory governments for consultation and coordination on the information economy. Membership comprises the Commonwealth Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Chairman), a senior Minister from each State and Territory and the President of the Australian Local Government Association.

1.2 Government Online Strategy

In 1997 the Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard MP, announced that federal agencies should have all appropriate services online by December 2001. The Government Online Strategy, which was released in April 2000, mapped out a strategic framework for agencies to meet that commitment.

The strategy provides the framework for:

• increasing the range of government services available online;
• improving access to online services;
• reducing the complexity of dealing online with government; and
• promoting community and business confidence in dealing online with government.

The Government Online Strategy can be found on the NOIE website at: http://www.noie.gov.au/projects/strategy/GovOnlineStrategy.htm.

In February 2002, the Prime Minister announced at the World Congress on Information Technology in Adelaide that the December 2001 online services target had been met.

In effect, Commonwealth agencies are at the end of the first stage of government electronic service delivery - the provision of information. They have almost completed this stage of getting information online and structuring easy access to it through coordinated Web entry points (portals).

In this respect Australia is like many other leading e-Government countries which are finding the next stage of information and service delivery is more complex and harder than the first.

In this new era of e-Government, citizens are at the core of the process. It will be their demand for particular services that will drive the nature and delivery mechanism of the services provided by agencies. This will entail providing many more sophisticated online services with transactional capability. It will also require associated services to be integrated wherever possible so as to provide online clients with a more complete package of linked services.

The need to promote the confidence of Australians in these services will remain a priority in the new era of e-Government, including the need to authenticate users of government services. This guide is intended to promote understanding and provide insights regarding this element of the next phase of e-Government.

A new overall policy framework is being developed for federal agencies which will map out the direction of the next phase of online service delivery - fully fledged e-Government.