Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the NSW-led initiative was currently in the research phase and remained on track to deliver a proof of concept in the second half of 2021.

"Having a child is an exciting and busy time for parents. We want to use technology to make life easier for families, so they can spend more time with their newborn and less time dealing with government," Mr Dominello said.

"NSW is the most digitally advanced jurisdiction in Australia and has already delivered popular digital products such as the Digital Driver Licence. This is what smart governments do - remove paperwork, save people time and put the customer at the centre."

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Attorney General Mark Speakman said community consultation was under way with a focus on schools, junior sports, and government agencies.

"It's crucial to make any Digital Birth Certificate a highly secure document that is easy to authenticate and protected from fraudsters and criminals," Mr Speakman said.

"That's why we are carefully co-designing this proposal with the community to help prevent identity theft and crime."

A birth certificate opens the doors to schooling, health and other vital government services. It's also needed for a range of life events including applying for a driver's licence and getting a bank account.

Mr Speakman said key priorities for the national project team would be privacy and ensuring any potential solution is accessible to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

"This would be a world-first. Nowhere else in the world provides a holistic digital solution to identity establishment, verification, authentication and management. We're excited by the prospect of filling this gap," Mr Speakman said.

Visit the website to 'Have your say' on the proposed Digital Birth Certificate.

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