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The Welfare Smartcard ... not so smart?
ID Card - ALP says Minister must answer growing list of smartcard concernsThese are just a few of the debarcles that define us ... well, perhaps define our government.The Federal Opposition said Commonwealth Minister for Human Services, Joe Hockey, has to address the growing list of fears and concerns held by industry experts and public advocates about Smartcard cost blowouts and privacy.
In a statement issued 17/05/2006, Federal Shadow Minister for Human Services, Kelvin Thomson, said: “It seems that with every day that passes, another industry expert raises serious concerns about the Smartcard project, and every day that passes the Government continues to ignore them. Minister Hockey must realise that charging ahead without public consultation and without listening to the experts is a recipe for disaster".
Mr Thomson claimed the former head of the Smartcard Technology Taskforce, James Kelaher, resigned because he did not want to be part of the "smartcard disaster". Mr Thomson said news that Assistant Secretary and Smartcard Project Leader, Suzanne Roche had resigned, is further evidence that the Smartcard project is in "disarray."
According to Mr Thomson, Siemens Vice President, Martin Praetorius, with more than 20 years experience working with Smartcard technology, told an e-Government forum last week that the $1.1 billion budget could be easily tripled because the "complexity of the project is greatly underestimated”.
British e-Government expert William Heath told the same forum that a single identifier card could actually increase rather than decrease the instance of fraud as: “It is an extremely courageous step to put all your identification, all the different departments, on to one identifier.”
Mr Thomson said that fraudster, Frank Abagnale, the real life criminal behind Catch Me if You Can, told BBC radio that the UK ID card would be replicated within six months.
“Minster Hockey must start responding to these serious public and industry concerns this week," Mr Thomson concluded. "The public cannot afford more major project budget blowouts, nor can we afford to have our privacy compromised".
18 May, 2006