Pharmacy Daily | NSW moves for COVID-safe ID option

PHARMACISTS in NSW will be able to use patients' digital driver's licences as a COVID-safe contactless ID option when dealing with requests for medications such as pseudoephedrine, under legislation before the State's Legislative Assembly.

NSW Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, said the Road Transport Amendment (Digital Licensing) Bill 2020 would give the digital licence the same status as the physical licence (PD 18 Sep).

"Following enactment of the bill, pharmacists selling pseudoephedrine will have the benefit of being able to confirm the identity of their customers without having to touch their licence card," he said.

"The enhanced security of the digital driver licence will provide better assurance to industries, such as pharmacies, in considering issues like fraud when they are dealing with customer transactions and purchases.

"The increased security measures that come with the digital driver licence will better protect privacy and security and also detect criminal behaviour in relation to wrongful usage of driver licences."

Liberal MP, Eleni Petinos, noted "at the time the digital driver's licence was launched we could not have imagined the important benefit that it provides today - a no contact IT check and COVID-safe ID option".

"Pharmacists, second-hand dealers, publicans, security guards, bottle shop retailers and police are required to take and hold a person's licence card in order to check its validity and confirm a person's identity, age or authority to drive," she said.

"On the other hand, the digital driver licence can be easily verified by sight without the need for the checker to touch the mobile device."

Pharmacy Guild of Australia NSW Branch President, David Heffernan, told Pharmacy Daily the move would support pharmacists recording patients' ID as part of Project Stop, noting a number of pharmacists in the state have been involved in a trial.