Australian National ID card delayed (but still on the way)

[Ryan]

Note the comment from Senator Ellison. I tend to agree with him - ID cards will no doubt proceed regardless of who wins the upcoming Australian election. There is really only one party, despite its two faces.

Smartcard on hold till next year

PLANS for a national smartcard have been postponed for at least a year with the Government admitting the deadline for its introduction was unrealistic.

The proposal for one-card access to welfare payments has been dogged by controversy since it was raised in 2003, with opponents claiming it is an underhand method of introducing a national identification system.

Despite government hopes of introducing a bill this year, Human Services Minister Chris Ellison yesterday said public support was essential if the $1.1billion scheme was to succeed, and there was no way he would put forward legislation before 2008.

He said the Government had been far too ambitious in trying to deliver it quickly. "I think the timeline we set was an ambitious one -- to do in four years what other countries do in more than six," he said.

The announcement follows the release of an "exposure draft" of the legislation, which prompted submissions that have yet to be considered.

"We won't be able to have legislation for the next session because we've had 40-odd submissions to the exposure draft, and we've still got talks ongoing with the states and territories," Senator Ellison said.

The card is intended to replace those required to access Medicare and a range of benefits such as unemployment and childcare payments.

Senator Ellison said that the card did not have to be carried as a prerequisite for service, but he would not back down on it displaying an identification number, photograph and signature -- issues at the heart of privacy concerns.

"I think smartcard technology is coming to Australia no matter what happens at the next election," he said.

He said a campaign would be launched to encourage people to sign up for the card, with field officers visiting elderly people and those in isolated regions.

Yes, I'm sure the government has its orders to make sure all the sheeple get "chipped", no matter where they live.

 

[OzRich]

Back in communist Poland we were all required to carry document with details like name, address, martial status, date of birth, work details, picture. The police (they were called milicja) had legal right to ask anyone on the street to show the document. If you didn't have one on you, they could by law detain you for 48 hours until your ID was clarified.
Totalitarian system anyone ?

 

[Ruth]

I'm wondering if they decided to delay it because they simply don't need such an expensive "in ya face" program. They already have many people 'embedded' in industries that the government considers impacts on Australian 'security' and they have had this for years I might add. As well as (more recently?) an extensive network of informants out there in the community.

Also, there's recently there's been a media campaign, run like something like 'crimestoppers' which encourages people to call if they witness, or think they witness 'suspicious' activity. I call it the 'dob in a neighbour program'. And previously there was that "be alert not alarmed" scary terrorist media blitz. I guess too many people were laughing at that one, or ringing up and complaining about their cats killing birds or something. I considered doing that myself when I got sick of the adds. They had to get alot more subtle in order to institute control of the population ... as well as get their neigbourhood 'informers' on-line. You'll find that all totalitarian regimes, whether they be to the left or to the right, have these types of people who are virtually knocking on their door wanting to tell them what their neighbour up to.

Anyway, the whole upshot of this is that I don't think they need this card. They already have enough information coming from various sources to know practically what anybody had breakfast.

The one mistake these ASIO and government types have made consistently is their inability to 'see' or even recognise that 9/11 contains all the elements of conspiracy and an inside job. I suppose in their arrogance and isolation they have failed to see that there are people out there who are not only smarter than they are, but better at manipulation. Thus, the whole of Australia from ASIO to the 'man in the street' has and is being manipulated.