The Guardian 31 January, 2007
WARNING!
Card gives Big Brother access
Anna Pha
Just before Christmas, the Coalition government circulated a draft bill for a national ID card. It set a ridiculous deadline of January 15 for public submissions — the Christmas shutdown period when few organisations would be in a position to respond. The bill carried the highly misleading name of "Human Services (Enhanced Service Delivery) Bill 2007" and is due to go before Parliament in February. It does not give people access to anything that they do not have now, but with the huge amount of data on it and linked to it, will provide intelligence organisations and other government and private agencies with virtually unlimited access to personal records and information.
Despite the government’s attempt to gag opposition a number of organisations have raised very serious issues about the purpose of the card and the dangers it presents.
The Access Card is more dangerous than the previously rejected Australia Card because it is a smart card with a chip holding your personal data. This data "is expected to include your name, address, details of children or other dependants, digitised photo, signature, card number [personal identification number], expiry date, gender, concession status and your Personal Identification Number (PIN)", says the government on its Office of Access Card Home Page ( www.accesscard.gov.au ).
Dr Haikerwal of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) pointed to the hollowness of these claims: "The legislation [does not] set out the type of information to be held on the Card, explain how the information on the Card is to be verified, or indicate how people are going to be identified."
It appears this will be left to the Minister. Clause 30 of the draft bill allows for administration of the legislation by Ministerial policy statement independent of the legislation, which appears to be an extraordinary circumvention of usual democratic processes for such a sensitive piece of legislation, Dr Haikerwal said.
Financial information, health records, tax file number, criminal records, fingerprints, employment record, religion, citizenship and other information and other data could be added to the card at a later date by decision of the Minister.
There will be a central register carrying all the data on the card, but the government says, no centralised collection of other data on a person (e.g. medical records), just links to the other data at different government agencies, as if that would make the data secure!
The government also claims that it will be necessary to use the card to use Australian government health and social services from 2010. That covers a huge range of services — prescriptions, hospital, medical, childcare, pensions, unemployment benefits, parenting benefits, and much more.
As for security of the data on the card and its use, the government says this is guaranteed by law!
The Government claims: "You will be able to check and verify the information stored in your card’s chip. There will be card readers available in different government locations for you to be able to do this. Staff at Medicare, Centrelink and Department of Veterans’ Affairs will also be able to assist you with viewing your information. It is also proposed you may be able to purchase a card reader to view the information stored on your card’s chip at home."
All you need is your PIN number to access your information. Just like a credit card! But once that information is out, it is out there for good.
Apart from security failings in government agencies, which are not unknown, the contracting out and privatisation of government services adds additional risks.
There is little time left, but the implementation of this invasive card can be defeated, as was the Australian Card in the 1980s.