[LINK] Orwell award on card for Hockey

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

Orwell award on card for Hockey
Karen Dearne
JANUARY 30, 2007
The Australian
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21137590%5E15319%5E%5Enbv%5E15306,00.html

OUTGOING Human Services Minister Joe Hockey has won the People's Choice 
Orwell for the "access card - a national ID card in disguise", in the 
2006 Big Brother Awards.

Mr Hockey was chosen for "his refusal to release the privacy impact 
assessment" and for "his rejection of key recommendations of his own 
Consumer and Privacy Taskforce", said awards judge Dean Wilson, a 
Melbourne criminologist.

"This was a well-deserved win for the relentless campaign of 
disinformation and doublespeak surrounding the access card project," Mr 
Wilson said.

The Orwells are awarded by the world's privacy groups to "corporations, 
public officials and governments that have shown a blatant disregard for 
privacy". The local Big Brothers are hosted by the Australian Privacy 
Foundation.

The Worst Public Official award went to federal Justice Minister Chris 
Ellison, "for the 'Abolition of Financial Privacy' legislation 
masquerading as the Anti-Money-Laundering and Counter-Terrorism 
Financing Bill".

"People might think, who could possibly object to that?" the judges 
said. "But this legislation turns thousands of bank tellers and other 
employees into amateur spies, with a legal obligation to report anyone 
who may be 'acting suspiciously'."

The Orwell for Greatest Corporate Invader was shared by all Australian 
banks, for continuing to send personal information to the global 
transaction hub, Swift, even after it was confirmed that the information 
was being provided to US security agencies.

Most Invasive Technology went to the NSW Health Department, for 
overturning the opt-in requirement in the state's health privacy law to 
allow the start of its electronic patient record system, Healthelink.

The Best Privacy Guardian award, or Smith, went to barrister Lex Lasry 
and other defence lawyers who refused to submit to stringent ASIO 
security clearances when representing suspects accused of terrorism.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority won an honourable 
mention for having successfully prosecuted the company, Clarity 1, under 
the Spam Act, resulting in fines of $5.5 million.

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Regards
brd

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