The article is written by Nandini Dhir.

The topic is about the police.

The article was published on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 11:36 am.

It was last updated on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12:00 pm.

New South Wales drivers' license photos may be shared with a national facial recognition database.

In short, this is about stopping identity fraud.

New South Wales drivers' license photos could be shared with a national facial recognition database under new laws.

The new laws aim to stop identity fraud and organized crime.

Police may get access to unedited photos from public toll roads.

The New South Wales government wants to join a national facial recognition service to stop identity fraud.

The state government introduced a bill to parliament on Thursday to expand laws and keep up with technology and complex crime.

The proposed laws include the state's involvement in a Commonwealth face matching service.

Chris Minns says the database can help track organized crime.

If passed, New South Wales would be the third state to join the National Driver Licence Facial Recognition Solution.

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the new laws would stop the use of stolen identities in crimes.

Organized criminals use fake identity documents to create bank accounts and launder money.

Ms Catley said the government takes people's privacy seriously, and the database would only be used for identity verification.

When an agency submits an image for verification, the system compares it and returns a yes or no response.

Unredacted photos of drivers on toll roads may be given to police.

Police access to unredacted photos from public toll roads could be granted under the new laws.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said criminals change number plates, making it hard for investigators to track them.

If passed, access to unredacted images taken by toll road cameras would start on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Harbour Tunnel.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said investigators would need to provide search parameters for unredacted image requests.

Generally, police know the type of car and can review vehicles quickly before getting the unredacted footage.

Ms Catley said access to these images would help in missing persons and organized crime investigations.

The good outweighs people's concerns, as this is about police getting criminals quickly.

Police powers to access devices would be expanded.

Under the proposed laws, police could access digital devices linked to criminal activity.

Commissioner Lanyon said police had prevented crimes when a phone or laptop was seized lawfully.

However, investigators currently do not have lawful access to these devices.

The legislation allows police to apply for an access order to solve crimes quickly.

Ms Catley said criminals use encrypted technology and online platforms to outsource violence.

The New South Wales Police asked for this power to get into devices and find out who the leaders are.

A human rights organization finds the new laws 'deeply concerning'.

NSW Council for Civil Liberties President Timothy Roberts said the government should slow down on expanding police powers.

Mr Roberts found the announcement deeply concerning and said the community should have been consulted.

Timothy Roberts says the community should have been consulted before the bill reached parliament.

The NSWCCL president said the national facial recognition database lacks safeguards, and the NSW Police Force lacks accountability.

The police minister can say police need to request specific things, but the community lacks tools to keep them in check.

More New South Wales news is available.

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