Learn from the mistakes of others

Smart card would trump Australia Card
smh.com.au March 29, 2006

Treasurer Peter Costello says a smart card would hold more information than the controversial Australia Card proposed by a Labor government in the 1980s.

ain't technology wonderful?

Bob Hawke's Labor government was forced to back down on its national identity card in the 1980s after a massive public backlash.

there were these privacy concerns, and some issues regarding the security of the system, and a few others. i give the new smart card, when it comes in, a few weeks before some one cracks it. i'm an optimist.

Federal cabinet is considering the issue of a smart card, mainly aimed at improving administration of health and welfare benefits.

pity they won't be issuing smart people instead.

looks like soon, i'll be carrying yet another card. this time, with more details about my already "can't be private coz you're broken/poor life".

Mr Costello said the smart card, which he personally supported, would go further than Labor's proposal.

of course it would. there's no one to stop this going through and they

"In many respects a smart card would hold much more information than the Australia Card which was proposed in the 1980s," Mr Costello told a book launch at Parliament House.

damn. another boring book to put myself through.

He said the card would hold information about the number of medicines bought, the names and ages of the holder and their children, as well as income - which related to a person's entitlement to health services.

why not include my dick size, sexual preferences, and my credit history as well. no, wait, hang on. as a 'recipient' of social security 'benefits' it will be. *sigh*

Mr Costello said he did not believe the smart card would suffer the same fate as its predecessor.

of course not. if the government wants it, theres no way anyone can stop them - they have a majority in both houses. congratulations voters.

"The Australia Card started with quite considerable support but as it wound its torturous way through parliament and public opposition grew it was eventually defeated in the Senate when public reaction was such the government more or less abandoned it," he said.

i suspect we're still not thrilled by the idea now ... only now the government doesn't need to listen to us.

"Has Australians' attitude changed? Will the smart card start with a head of steam and gradually be worn down?

"I'm a supporter of a smart card. I believe that it will be an important addition both as to entitlements and protection of the public purse."

"protection of the public purse"? by that he means, screwing the poor even harder.

Mr Costello said he did not know whether the policy would be ticked off this week.

O_O

"It's something that is under consideration by the government - we will see whether the government agrees to it or not," he said.

wtf!? costello is in the government. he's the third most senior politician in government in australia. he sure as shit knows if this is on the agenda. i think we can safely assume it's not only on the agenda, it's in the works.

He said the war on terrorism had changed Australians' attitude to new security measures, such as identity checks and airport scanning.

yeah. we're sooo happy to have that shit going on. sooo happy.

"I do believe that it has changed our perception as to what is permissible and indeed what may be necessary in order to protect civil society and civil safety," he said.

*sigh*

The treasurer was speaking at the launch of a new book by Queensland Liberal senator Brett Mason, entitled Privacy without Principle.

a minor government player doing his bit ot lay the ground work for the coming plague.

Senator Mason said privacy scare campaigns should not be used to undermine the idea of a national identity card.

"scare campaigns" ... they've rolled out the propaganda machine already ... and the card isn't even "on hte agenda" yet ... supposedly ...

"A person's right to privacy does not preclude a national ID card," Senator Mason said.

no. but neither does it mean such a thing is a good idea either - a lot rides on the details. the ephemeral details.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr Costello said there needed to be a greater debate about privacy.

by "debate" i suspect he means greater effort to bland us to death with the "issue". this government is the past master of blanding.

"I think in a media age where everything can be broadcast to the world on the internet, where the exposure is so much greater than used to be the case, that we do look at balancing up protections for people in their individual and private affairs," Mr Costello said.

balancing them against what, exactly? the vague, ephemeral war on emotive nouns i suppose. australians are more afraid of our government's tax office than they are of being killed by a terrorist.