[LINK] Back to a basic card

[brd at iimetro.com.au]

Back to a basic card
Karen Dearne
SEPTEMBER 05, 2006
The Australian
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20354934%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

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.

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.

"What we are proposing is no more data on the access card than appears on the
driver's licence people are happy to share at the local video store," he said.

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

Rising concern is evident in the first raft of submissions to the Access Card
Consumer and Privacy Taskforce, headed by former competition tsar Allan Fels.
Revelations last week that Centrelink staff had been spying on their
neighbours' records inflamed debate over confidentiality.

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

-- 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au


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