Fri 13 Mar 2026 Data and Digital Ministers Meeting advances national priorities Government Digital ID, Finance (Department)
AI is now a standing DDMM agenda item, signalling cross-jurisdictional ministerial attention to AI in service delivery - but concrete AI policy outputs are yet to emerge.
Key points
- The February 2026 DDMM agreed that emerging technologies including AI will become a standing agenda item for future meetings.
- The meeting launched an updated Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy setting nationally consistent identity standards across jurisdictions.
- AI governance is referenced but not the primary focus - digital identity, data sharing, and cyber security dominate the outcomes.
Implications for Australian agencies
- Monitor Agencies involved in AI strategy or digital service delivery may want to monitor future DDMM communiqués for emerging AI-specific cross-jurisdictional decisions or frameworks.
- Consider Digital identity and data-sharing teams could consider how the new Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy affects agency-level identity verification approaches and interoperability requirements.
Implications are AI-generated. Starting points, not advice — see methodology for how they're framed.
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Appeared in:
Weekly digest, 9 March 2026
"Fri 13 Mar 2026 Data and Digital Ministers Meeting advances national priorities Government Digital ID, Finance (Department)"
Source: Dept of Finance – News
Published: 13 March 2026
URL: https://www.finance.gov.au/about-us/news/2026/data-and-digital-ministers-meeting-advances-national-priorities
The Data and Digital Ministers Meeting convened at Parliament House on 27 February 2026, bringing together Commonwealth, state, territory, and New Zealand ministers to agree on 2026 national priorities. Key outcomes included making emerging technologies (including AI) a standing agenda item, launching an updated Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy covering driver licences, Medicare cards, and passports, and agreeing on a second review of the National Cabinet Intergovernmental Agreement on Data Sharing. The meeting also discussed the cyber threat environment with ASD, and flagged exploration of EU-style data sovereignty models. AI's inclusion as a standing item reflects alignment with the APS AI Plan 2025, though no specific AI policy decisions were announced.
Implications for Australian agencies:
- [Monitor] Agencies involved in AI strategy or digital service delivery may want to monitor future DDMM communiqués for emerging AI-specific cross-jurisdictional decisions or frameworks.
- [Consider] Digital identity and data-sharing teams could consider how the new Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials Strategy affects agency-level identity verification approaches and interoperability requirements.
Retrieved from SIMS, 18 July 2026.