Australia Post’s Digital ID identity verification service has received a mostly thumbs-up rating from Credit Union Australia, which has been trialling the system.

Digital ID aims to enable users to prove who they are online – for instance when applying for a bank account or a job, accessing government services, or proving their age at a bar.

Once a user’s identity is verified by the system, the details can be saved so that the individual can prove his or her identity later wherever Digital ID is accepted.

According to Credit Union Australia CEO Rob Goudswaard,  the OzPost service is far better than the previous system used to identify people looking to open a CUA bank account.

Using that system, one out of every two new applicants failed to get past the automated identity verification process. With Digital ID, “about 90 percent of verifications [are] going straight through,” according to Goudswaard.