[LINK] Back to a basic card

[Karl Auer]

On Tue, 2006-09-05 at 06:54 +0800, brd at iimetro.com.au wrote:
> Back to a basic card
> [...]
> PLANS for the government services access card are being stripped back as federal
> Human Services Minister Joe Hockey tries to quell fears over its potential to
> become a de facto national identity scheme.

This is something the Howard Government does time and time again. It's
called the "Little Green Apples manoeuvre".

Big Bully: "I'm gonna take half your little green apples!"

Little Person: "No!"

Big Bully: "OK, then I'm gonna take ALL your little green apples!"

Little Person: "What?!? That's so unfair! I shall resist!"

Big Bully: "Tell you what, how about I only take HALF your little green
apples?"

Little Person: "Oh yes, that's much better. Thank you, thank you, Big
Bully!"

> Mr Hockey has dumped early ideas of fancy extras, such as an e-purse for small
> cash transactions, or for card swipe entry into childcare centres, in favour of
> a more workable and palatable bare-bones approach.

The above preposterous ideas were never more than the opening gambit of
the Little Green Apples manoeuvre. Which appears to have worked
exceptionally well. Again. The plan is no more workable (and certainly
not any more "bare bones"!) than it ever was. Smoke and mirrors.

> "There will be no big, combined database holding highly sensitive information."

"Never, ever GST"

> The card is designed to help people deal with agencies such as Centrelink and
> Medicare.

Like the poor, blind "embedded journalists" of the Middle East
conflicts, it seems this journalist too is taking on the language of the
"host", unthinking, uncritical.

This card is designed to give every Australian a number, so that they
can be managed and tracked more efficiently. Any attribute the system
may (or may not) have now, which can be trumpeted as proving otherwise,
it will quickly lose (or gain) once the framework for its existence is
in place. It is that simple.

It amazes, astounds and bitterly disappoints me that so many Australians
can be so blind to this simple, simple, simple fact.

Regards, K.

-- 
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Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)                   +61-2-64957160 (h)
http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/                  +61-428-957160 (mob)