[LINK] Fwd: Labor to dump Access Card

[Jan Whitaker]

fyi - Another reason to vote ALP.


>http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22592265-15306,00.html
>
>Labor to dump Access Card
>Karen Dearne and Ben Woodhead | October 16, 2007
>
>A LABOR government would scrap the contentious $1.1 billion Access Card
>project, human services shadow minister Tanya Plibersek has confirmed.
>"We have said all along that if the Access Card had not been introduced
>by the time of the election we would not proceed with it," Ms Plibersek
>said.
>
>"So, yes, we would scrap the proposal entirely."
>
>Touted by the Howard Government as a health and welfare smartcard and
>anti-fraud measure, the scheme has met with sustained opposition as a de
>facto identity card. Originally proposed and promoted by then minister
>Joe Hockey in April 2006, the project has been in limbo since July,
>following a series of legislative and procurement stumbles.
>
>Human Services Minister Chris Ellison was forced to withdraw enabling
>legislation in March, after the draft bill was rejected by an all-party
>Senate committee.
>
>A revised exposure bill has since been languishing, with Senator Ellison
>in June saying the consultation period would extend beyond the 2007
>election. "I think the timeline we set was an ambitious one," he said,
>adding that he would not put the legislation forward until early 2008.
>
>The future of two crucial technology contracts, systems integration and
>card issuing, is uncertain nearly a year after private sector tenders
>were called.
>
>But the bulk of the $1.1 billion project spend is related to the huge
>task of registering some 15 million Australians for the card.
>
>Other key tenders are for transaction services and the supply of Eftpos
>terminals.
>
>Overall, spending on project consultants, technology and advertising had
>reached $52 million by September.
>
>Ms Plibersek said Labor considered smartcard technology to offer useful
>applications, "but we have no plans to look at any similar projects".
>
>Labor declared its opposition to the Access Card back in March, with Ms
>Plibersek describing it as "simply a national ID card in disguise".
>
>"It is an ill-conceived, poorly executed project that will cost a great
>deal more than the Government imagines or is prepared to admit," she said.
>
>Ms Plibersek predicted the card would be an election issue.
>
>"It will be on the radar, as people realise every single Australian will
>have to attend an interview, be photographed and provide original
>documents they will have to apply for and pay for," she said.
>
>"With the potential for the information they provide to be lost, stolen
>or misused, I think they'll be very anxious."
>
>The federal Government's other big-ticket technology projects remain
>secure and are likely to continue throughout the election campaign.
>
>Agencies cannot enter into new contracts when the government is in
>caretaker mode, but those that have already signed agreements can keep
>working on initiatives under way.
>
>That means that the election will not affect the Department of
>Immigration and Citizenship's $495 million Systems for People project,
>Centrelink's $312 million IT Refresh and the Australian Taxation
>Office's $724 million Change Program.
>
>A tax office spokeswoman said that the election would not affect an
>industry briefing on the agency's $1 billion outsourcing program,
>scheduled for October 31.
>
>The first tender documents for the tax office outsourcing project are
>not due to be released until next year, well after the election is done
>and dusted.
>
>A change in government is unlikely to spell the end of the immigration,
>Centrelink and tax office projects because they mainly involve replacing
>old infrastructure and systems, and are largely separate from specific
>policies.

Jan Whitaker
JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/
commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/

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