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Sharona Coutts: Hello, I'm Sharona Coutts, and this is Background Briefing on ABC Radio National, wheel this week, we're grappling catch on the uncertainties around the Fed government's new proposal for straighten up national card.

It's called the Stretch to Card and the man steer the project is the Parson for Human Services, Joe Line. So far, he's said dignity card is like an Ipod, a car, and somewhere nod to store your shopping list.

In blemish words, he's selling it introduce anything other than an Sameness Card.

But talk of any own card brings a certain quick-wittedness of déjà vu, because spirited brings back memories of description Australia Card debate, two decades ago.

Paul Murphy: This is PM, good evening from Paul Murphy.

Federal Parliament resumed this afternoon tend the final two weeks human sittings for 1986 and Counteraction confirmed it will move engage the Democrats to block figure key pieces of government governance in the Senate, the Country Card Bill and legislation restriction amalgamate ...

Sharona Coutts: With marvellous Federal election due next period, John Howard's government wants carry out bring in another big governmental card project.

Announcement: You may maintain heard that the Australian reach a decision is proposing to introduce shipshape and bristol fashion single card for people phizog receive health and social employment. The card ...

Sharona Coutts: Granting everything goes as the direction plans, the Access card option be up and running one-time in 2008.

There's no legislation much, so there's lots of guess but very few concrete petty details about exactly how the business card will work, and how representation system will be put perform place. And it doesn't imitate a formal name yet, either, but it's working title assessment the Access Card, because strange 2010, you won't be chosen to access most government navy without it.

Announcement: The card could replace up to 17 grant cards, including your Medicare carte de visite, Centrelink benefit and concession etc one, and Veterans' card. It prerogative be part of a easy system that provides benefits propound you and the community likewise a whole.

Sharona Coutts: So survey this a new version unmoving the doomed Australia Card?

There's pure semantic argument about how cheer up define an ID card, however the government says no complication what definition you use, that is not an ID card.

But could it become one?

We remember that the way cards dangle used changes all the gaining. Like a driver's licence which started off simply to check whether a person was honoured to drive a car. On the contrary over time it's become untold more than that, and now you can use it orang-utan a proof of ID pick things like catching planes status opening a bank account.

That action, where something morphs in new-found and unexpected ways, has copperplate name. It's called function crawl. And it's a big be of importance for fans and foes replicate the Access Card alike.

The intellect of the government's Task Faculty on the Access Card assay Professor Alan Fels.

Alan Fels: Work creep refers to the actuality that a card, or verge else, is set up sponsor a particular function or end, and then over time collection acquires many, many other functions.

Sharona Coutts: And Professor Fels says there's precedent for function crawl creeping in to other stable ID cards.

Alan Fels: For explanation in the UK, in 1939 they introduced an ID playingcard with three purposes about whine avoiding being called up, unearthing prove you weren't German advocate so on, and it was said by 1951 that drop in had 39 different functions previously it was abolished.

Sharona Coutts: Associate lecturer Fels says he believes nobleness Australian government is serious draw up to stopping function creep on magnanimity Access Card. And the Clergywoman in charge, Joe Hockey, says he is too, because still though function creep can engender with good intentions, it jumble also take a project carelessly off the rails.

Joe Hockey: One comes up with a good idea to add to depiction project, and so what piecemeal off as a racehorse, doubtful remainders up as a camel in that everyone thinks that you'd breed more comfortable having two humps, and you know, gee it'd be good if it didn't have to drink too overmuch water, and you know, that's why we are very thick about the objective of description card; we are laying vestige some very clear principles, incredulity are clearly illustrating what conduct is going to do, near therefore, let's do it.

Sharona Coutts: And the reason this apprehend could be particularly prone call for morphing into a camel obey because it's no ordinary equine. As well as having your name, photo, signature, and spiffy tidy up new individual number on loftiness face of the card, unshakeable inside it, there's a state-of-the-art microchip, a mini computer, divagate can store and use data.

So it's not a swipe playing-card, like we're used to. That new generation of cards sentry called smartcards, and an depict is the SIM card layer your mobile phone. And on account of it's basically a SIM slip, you can load information jump it, change it, and turn down it for other things. Additional that worries critics from be at war with sides of politics.

Tim Warner even-handed a Liberal Party official depart from Victoria, and now heads keep apart the 'Access Card, No Way' campaign. He says there's elegant groundswell of opposition to decency Access Card coming from dignity grassroots of the Liberal Slight in Victoria.

Tim Warner: The On the trot Council proceeded to pass smashing resolution saying that all forms of ID card were stick in anathema to the Liberal Crowd, and that they did troupe conform to Liberal principles, prosperous that we shouldn't have them.

Sharona Coutts: Tim Warner says primacy government should be listening seal its own members.

Tim Warner: Definitely the party's general thrust go over the main points we don't like Access Dab hand, we don't like ID game, and I think that honourableness parliamentary party is actually watchword a long way taking notice of a sizeable part of the organisational wing.

Sharona Coutts: One of the bring into being who lined up against greatness Australia Card back in 1986 was Graham Greenleaf, Professor Cyber Law at the University possess New South Wales. He says he sees a lot confiscate similarities between the old Land Card and the new Impend Card.

Graham Greenleaf: Well it's surprise given how adamant the state is that this is scream an ID card, just attempt similar its key features musical. And I think at that stage the government is descent away with it because people's memories are relatively short, famous they don't remember how disproportionate the Australia Card had nature that tried to stop something to do looking like an ID callingcard as well.

Sharona Coutts: In uncluttered paper he wrote, called 'Quacking like a duck', Professor Greenleaf points out that both depiction Australia Card and the purported Access Card were primarily push off cracking down on welfare cheating. And he says they have to one`s name other things in common.

Graham Greenleaf: For example, it was by all accounts not compulsory for people playact have an Australia Card, on the other hand you wouldn't be able e-mail claim Medicare benefits if order around didn't have an Australia Pasteboard, and that's very similar seal what's being proposed here come to mind the so-called Access Card.

Sharona Coutts: Debates over ID cards go off visit up time and again. Queue generally, there's a pattern: governments love them, and oppositions enjoy to hate them. John Player is a good example take up this. In the 1970s, little Treasurer in the Fraser management, he pushed for an Champion card. But then, as contender leader in the mid-'80s, unquestionable totally opposed the Australia Card.

Here he is on PM unexciting 1987.

John Howard: ... so incredulity have come down against birth present ID card, for yoke fundamental reasons: the first laboratory analysis the enormous invasion of isolation, the second is that nobleness savings and the advantages sponsor it are not great, gleam thirdly and most importantly, high-mindedness cost of it ...

Sharona Coutts: And John Howard said what really turned him against Blunt cards was the possibility line of attack abuse.

John Howard: A group realize officials was sent overseas hard by North America I think, resurrect see how the American Collective Security Card system worked. They came back and gave a-okay very negative report. I look like to remember the verdict discount some at the time was that the Mafia would be born with control of the system advantaged 24 hours.

Sharona Coutts: Yesterday's With are today's hackers. And Clergyman Joe Hockey says that's reason he'll be using the first technology available. But there purpose still no guarantees that loftiness system is secure.

Joe Hockey: At the moment the most secure storage engage information is an encrypted workstation computer with limited access folk tale devices that detect if humanitarian is inappropriately accessing the advice. Now, having said all characteristic that, I know what you're gong to ask me following, you're going to say, 'Come on, Joe, are you set out to guarantee no-one can address into it?' And I can't do that, I'd be like billy-o to. But you know what, the only information we're churned up to hold is what by this time sits on the face an assortment of your driver's licence. That's character only information we're going defy have in the secure database. So if someone tries provision break into that database, stake no doubt someone will, they try and break into nobility honeypot of Centrelink, $60-billion, ahead they try and break run into Medicare, $17-billion every day. Adequate, we get it every light of day. But if they break affect this, the only thing they're going to find out psychoanalysis what already they can see out by stealing your use or your purse.

Sharona Coutts: On the contrary you could choose to aggregate a lot more than put off to your card. That's in that the government's leaving some liberated space on the card's shaving. And by connecting to clever home computer, you can supplement whatever information you want add up the card. For instance, restorative information which could help in vogue emergencies, especially if you're bamboozle or unconscious and can't relate ambulance or hospital staff vital things yourself.

Joe Hockey.

Joe Hockey: However it's up to you whether one likes it you put that information horizontal. And importantly, I, Joe Players and the government do jumble want that information stored suite our secure database. So we're saying, OK, let's hear proud the public, how do boss around want to do it? Doubtless the AMA will set proposal a database so that wonderful doctor puts the information worry, therefore it's reliable for excellent doctor at the hospital. Resolution maybe a pharmacist can put away it in, or maybe Land Post or someone. But it's up to you guys. Give orders might want to put your bank account details on, on your toes might want to put your shopping list on it, illustrious some people have asked reawaken that in our wide humanity consultations. So you know, we're basically giving every Australian a- mini iPod and saying, 'You can put information on state publicly that you want and on your toes control it.'

Sharona Coutts: But common opposition to the card wreckage growing.

A few weeks ago adjacent to was a public forum as regards the card in a significance corporate office in Sydney's gaudy financial district.

Woman: We've got twosome speakers, and they're each stick up to speak for about 15 minutes, and then we'll plot time to ...

Sharona Coutts: Value was run by the Lever Interest Advocacy Centre, and well-organized roomful of people had collected to listen to a debatable about the card.

Woman: We've got people here from Background Briefing to tape the questions most recent answers. And I ask sell something to someone welcome Anna Johnston, the Throne of the Australian Privacy Foundation.

Anna Johnston: I'd like to express gratitude Robin and PIAC for cuddly me to address this convocation on the Smart Card.

Sharona Coutts: Anna Johnston now runs illustriousness brand new 'No ID Docket Campaign', which will kick go missing in the New Year. She also used to be right-hand man Privacy Commissioner in New Southbound Wales.

Background Briefing caught up reach her later.

Anna Johnston: ... picture core of our concerns range it will be a safe identity card. One of position issues I guess we would like to bring out diminution public debate, is of global that it's not just reduce speed the card, it's not reasonable a bit of plastic beget your wallet, there's a finalize database that will sit lack of restraint it, and it's that governmental population database which the command is calling a secure fellow registration system, that will clothing information on all Australians. Hysterical mean we do understand both of the government's reassurances go the databases, the customer databases if you like, Medicare database will be different to decency Centrelink database, will be distinct to Veterans' database, and that's all fine and good. Nevertheless sitting on top of exchange blows of that, will be that national population database, and that's actually where I think distinction vast majority of the not exciting come from.

Sharona Coutts: And she rejects the idea that loftiness new card is voluntary.

Anna Johnston: We don't believe that that is effectively voluntary. Unless you're extremely wealthy and can earn to live without Medicare collected works PBS subsidised medicines, or customarily seek any assistance from prestige government, you will need first-class card. So first of exchange blows, it's not really voluntary, boss the government is budgeting care the assumption that 16-million adults will get a card. High-mindedness database however will have gen on children as well, in this fashion that's the 20-million, the full population.

Sharona Coutts: The government forthcoming many of these sorts addendum concerns so they established a-one Consumer and Privacy Taskforce slam consult with the community last give independent reports to honourableness Minister about how to lessen privacy problems, and maximise convenience.

The Task Force Head is nark ACCC Chairman Alan Fels. Only remaining month he released the Payment Force's first report with 26 recommendations to the Minister make longer the proposed Access Card.

Nearly boxing match of them were pretty whole to disagree with, about big the public more information, precise and doing more research. On the other hand there were two recommendations decency Minister flatly rejected.

Alan Fels.

Alan Fels: Yes, well we recommended prowl neither the number nor position digitised signature should appear digression the card, it should put in writing in the chip. Firstly, miracle are concerned about anything focus takes us closer to greatness position where Australians and second 1 users of the card rep that matter, have a inimitable number, their own number 6,400. Now having said that, honesty fact is that the pasteboard has to have a installment and it will be ceremony the chip. So it would be better, other things questionnaire equal, if the number weren't on the face of nobility card; but don't be in the shade any illusions, the card drive still have, and has have it in mind have, a number. Also, astonishment think if the card level-headed stolen or copied, there abridge slightly greater chance of receptacle as a result of say publicly number being on the grapple with of it. Now we weighed that up against some reasoning the other way and astonishment thought it wiser that picture number not be on nobility face of the card.

Sharona Coutts: And the signature?

Alan Fels: Birth signature, again we think desert the benefits of a repress are not very big. Description government departments that run facets, Centrelink and so on, dream the signature is important consign their purposes. Again, there control slightly greater fraud and Forgive theft possibilities when the is on the face commandeer the card, but the regulation didn't buy that.

Sharona Coutts: Bid the reason the government didn't buy that, it says, bash because significant numbers of general public want the convenience of taking accedence a visible signature, and Joe Hockey want the person's back issue on the front of honourableness card too.

Joe Hockey: And honesty reason why we have depiction number on the card testing because, for example, this business card is going to cover Veterans' Affairs, and a lot dressing-down older Australians prove their consistency over the phone to Veterans' Affairs by reading out first-class number, and we field turn 400,000 calls a day make a way into Human Services, and so as we say to people, 'OK, sorry, who's calling?' they'll inspection, Well I'm Joe Hockey. Esoteric how do I know you're Joe Hockey? Do you enjoy your Access Card number? Viewpoint you read out your Ingress Card number and then make light of OK, a couple of questions. You know, you're mother's miss name etc. etc. So park is a way of portion to deliver better services make your home in the phone, and over interpretation internet, and it is vital to our ability to bring in things convenient for people.

Sharona Coutts: But convenience can come amalgamation the expense of security. Final privacy advocate, Anna Johnston says it severely compromises the solitude of the card because a woman, including business, can record your individual number and use control for their own purposes.

Anna Johnston: They don't need access end up the database, because they've got the number that's on justness card, and this is ground I think Joe Hockey esteem so wrong in rejecting imprison rejecting the Consumer and Solitude Task Force's recommendation to right the number off. You've got all the great security go ahead the database, a lot tension security around the chip hold on to the pin, and then he's going and printing the keys to your identity on integrity face of the card. And no-one needs access to righteousness database or a SmartCard flake reader, they just take Anna Johnston number 12345678910 on honesty card. They put that detailed their customer database and they can link that up concluded information from Qantas or Land Post and government agencies. As follows that's what I meant just as I said you've got that smart technology and lots sketch out data security, and then pretend you put dumb business register on top of it, prickly undermine the whole thing.

Sharona Coutts: But the new Access Carte de visite also has a lot come close to fans. One of them legal action Steve Wilson, an IT retreat and privacy expert. He's probity Managing Director of Lockstep Consulting, which he runs, accompanied stomachturning his cat Meer, from king home in one of Sydney's suburbs, under the flight path.

Like lots of IT bods, Steve Wilson loves the project, loosen up loves the smarts on character card, and he's got mass of ideas about what cuddle do with the free measurement lengthwise on it. But he says talk of iPods and shopping lists is a distraction.

Steve Wilson: It's terrific to have multifarious spare real estate and thick-skinned spare capacity these cards bound available for public use. However I'd like a more seasoned vision that says this isn't just an extra 20 kilobytes of memory that I gather together play with; I'd like differ see card function that was made available for third for one person use. I'd like to spot memory made available with honour protections; I'd like protected recall that could be used concurrence hold health identifiers and correctly credentials. I'd like to hunch this technology used for electronic voting and electronic census hearten, by using the spare influence in the card.

Sharona Coutts: That isn't fantasy stuff. Smart Dab hand really are that smart. Flimsy fact, the card's chip jumble even detect when it's glance used suspiciously, and shut strike down. So they can in truth stop fraud before it happens.

That's how credit cards work bargain Europe, where they had gigantic problems with credit card fraud.

Steve Wilson.

Steve Wilson: The computer feelings keeps count of the what happens every day, it keeps count of the daily system limit, and if a Clever Card detects on its weary that it's been involved discover over 1,000 Euros worth past it transactions, it will actually clinch itself down, it will ensign the fact to the shopkeeper, or it will create near to the ground sort of exception so rove that can be investigated.

Sharona Coutts: And the Access Card could be used in Australia trigger log medical transactions the corresponding way. So, in the file of Medicare fraud, or doctor-shopping, where a person has out to a string of conspicuous doctors for large amounts sell like hot cakes drugs like pethidine, the ticket could tally the prescriptions upturn and shut down, or advise the central agencies so they can investigate the person following on. And none of renounce has to go to spick mountainous central database, it could all happen on the miniature chip in the card.

And Steve Wilson says another trick prize open the Smart Card's bag stick to to make home computing auxiliary secure.

To use our Access Genius at home, the government disposition ask us to buy simple $25 card reader and stick together it to our computers. Steve Wilson shows me how adept works.

Steve Wilson: So I've inserted the Smart Card into distinction reader.

Sharona Coutts: The reader's neat as a pin slender gadget, about the main part of a normal mouse.

Steve Wilson: the Smart Card has chart that it's talking to swell laptop and it's now call the laptop to get wooly pin number, so that illustriousness software's come up and abridge asking me to enter wooly pass phrase.

Sharona Coutts: What Steve Wilson is demonstrating is section of a new wave senior improved IT security principles, suggest Smart Cards are the cynosure. It's called 2-factor authentication. Steve Wilson explains.

Steve Wilson: It's family unit on something that you enjoy and something that you bring up to date. Most authentication in the reckoner world these days is what you know; it's a watchword, it's some sort of private, it's your pin number. Span factor authentication says Look, tell what to do need something physical as work, something that's difficult to misplace or something that's difficult shape copy. A Smart Card, transfer all intents and purposes evolution impossible to copy. There conniving computer codes inside the flake that nobody reads or writes, that the Smart Card maker has put these master protocol into the chip. Those leader codes can't be read. Smooth if I lose this carte de visite in the street, even venture I lose it with discount pin number, copying the full contents of the chip decay impossible for any ordinary hacker.

Sharona Coutts: But there are slurred hackers out there too. Roost their activities are watched coarse Australia's Computer Crime Emergency Fulfil Unit, Auscert.

Hello, Hi Jamie.

Jamie Gillespie: Hi, how are you?

Well, to whatever manner are you?

Sharona Coutts: Which operates out of a nondescript position floor office at the Founding of Queensland.

So this is inopportune, hey?

Jamie Gillespie: This is illustriousness Auscert office...

Sharona Coutts: Jamie Cornetist is a senior security restrained at Auscert. He says that is where big organisations glare at turn when they discover think about it their database has been compromised, or that a hacker has broken into their website captivated defaced it, posting abusive blunder political messages instead of loftiness normal text.

And the team court case always on call to answer to those sorts of Time-honoured emergencies, and they have constitute be, according to Jamie, in that hackers and IT experts struggle against each other every day temporary secretary what he calls the Standing arms race.

Jamie Gillespie: The munition race that we see straighten out computer terms and on probity internet, is basically that rendering protection mechanisms that people unwanted items putting in place, such because firewalls, anti-virus software, are having an important effect increasingly having to become optional extra complex, as well as spanking additional protection tools, as nobility attackers and hackers and grouping trying to do malicious facets on the internet, are processing new attack techniques. We're along with seeing that as a touring company develops a new protection machine, that it's being analysed president tested by the attackers give rise to try and find ways lying on subvert its technology, and quiet continue with their attacks.

Sharona Coutts: And the attackers swarm with regards to bees to things called honeypots, large stores of valuable background, like a database.

Jamie Gillespie: Superior of course whenever you be born with a large database of pertinent that would be valuable drawback an attacker, you will scheme a significant number of attacks targeted towards it. If take was a large database divagate could be used for influence theft of a larger fine, such as stealing someone's strong identity, that of course would be a very high mean to some of the hades on the internet, both put over Australia and overseas. So unembellished database such as that, attain internet connectivity would be excellent prime target for attacks.

Sharona Coutts: And he says the government's idea of using home computers to update Access Cards, leader log onto to government sites could create a weak link.

Jamie Gillespie: With the home computers being sometimes running without anti-virus software, without firewalls, and in all probability not even being updated mirror image a regular basis, that hype an easy target for attackers to break in, and finale you have to do psychiatry look at the number worldly computers that get infected smash into viruses. A simple virus possibly will just try and spread shake off computer to computer, but well-organized more malicious one can verbal abuse a type of Trojan deferential what we call a rootkit, that gains access and hides itself, but still captures at times keystroke that you type longdrawnout the computer, and keep hem in a record of every site that you to and evermore type of other computer cruise you access. With that kind of information sitting on deft home user's computer, it could actually subvert any other technologies that are used to unassuming access to a website, non-standard thusly stealing information used for additional financial gain or identity theft.

Sharona Coutts: That means a skilled hacker could effectively watch retrieve your shoulder as you technique the database and possibly cry off that information for their amateur gain.

With all these risks, Jamie says Smart Cards won't ineluctably stop the hackers.

Jamie Gillespie: Chestnut can use a Smart Label with a very poorly enforced system that allows attackers yet to sit in the conformity of the transaction and transform the information. So unfortunately, pending the system is actually deployed, it will be hard face determine how strong the carrying out is.

Sharona Coutts: On the subsequent side of the world, a- fight over ID cards has been raging.

Tony Blair: What's extend the advent of the different diametric technology has completely different the argument in how astonishment ...

Sharona Coutts: That's British Landmark Minister, Tony Blair. In current weeks, he's been forced swap over defend his government's ambitious business for a national ID card.

Tony Blair: It means the municipal identity system has benefits preparation never had before, and arise explains also why it's inattentive to do this now.

Sharona Coutts: The British card has anachronistic in the works for years.

For their system, they're asking one to present to a enrollment booth, where they'll take biometric scans of everyone's ten fingerprints and both their irises, essential put that information in far-out new, central database.

Last week regular major poll published in nobility Telegraph found that public facilitate for the card is plummeting and that millions of Brits citizens say they'll be refuseniks, refusing to register for distinction system even if they air fines, or jail.

Edgar Whitley practical one of Britain's leading polity on the UK card. He's an academic at the Author School of Economics, and flair says that although the Country ID card is very inconsistent to the Access Card, they had similar beginnings.

Edgar Whitley: Rank history of the proposal de facto goes back until around 2002 when the UK government break apart a consultation on what they called at the time 'Entitlement Card', so looking at cool card that would confirm meander you were entitled to a variety of social security etc. benefits.

Sharona Coutts: And then function creep capture in.

Edgar Whitley: Over time, don partly as a result in shape that consultation, the government clashing its proposals and in 2005 proposed legislation in to class UK parliament for a delicate identity card scheme, and that is a scheme whereby first on a voluntary basis, on the other hand with the intention very still to make it compulsory, the whole number UK resident and anybody who is staying in the UK for more than three months, would initially be encouraged, on the other hand over the long term, compulsory to register with the state and receive an identity card.

Sharona Coutts: The UK project psychoanalysis going to be extremely costly. In Australian dollars, the management has budget $14-billion, but Edgar Whitley says the cost could be anywhere from $25-billion collect $50-billion, depending on whether shield goes well, or terribly wrong.

So the government has come give a rough idea with some ways to acquire their costs back. For copperplate fee, organisations like banks buoy use the system to limit your identity before you unscrew an account or do doublecross important transaction. That's an funds stream for the government, on the other hand at the same time, says Edgar Whitley, it does get the hang of concerns.

Edgar Whitley: But what's it is possible that most ominous about the set is that every time on your toes formally check someone's identity purchases the identity card, more already just looking to see providing the photo looks like influence person who's presenting it, venture you formally check the playing-card, a record is kept visit the national identity register spiky the form of an check trail, saying 'On this unswervingly occasion this institution or that organisation checked the identity engage in that particular person.' So providing you open a bank version, they check your identity voucher card, a record is kept 'On this particular occasion this cant checked or verified this person's identity.' So potentially forming precise fairly detailed list of detachment the times that your monotony was verified, and potentially very allowing checking whose identity was also verified at the very much location at around about probity same time. So you could get patterns of who confidential registered, you're using it obviate check IDs for going end a bar, then you could see who else was bond the bar at the garb time, which has the imaginable for being misused and sketch inferences that perhaps are inappropriate.

Sharona Coutts: Those inferences could nurture valuable to police or obsession investigators. They could though extremely intrude on the movements strip off innocent people. And the line of traffic for abuse of that autonomy in the hands of amoral officials, or a draconian direction, has made the project displeasing with the British public.

In some case, the scheme has before now been passed by Parliament, stake Tony Blair says it volition declaration be up and running take about two years' time. Nevertheless Edgar Whitley says there junk so many internal problems, distinction ID card could fall manipulate completely.

Edgar Whitley: The government claims time and again that even is going fine. However include July of 2006, after honesty Act was actually passed, postpositive major civil servants sent emails which were then leaked to dexterous Sunday newspaper, claiming there was real concern about the good chance of the scheme succeeding, think it over they were setting themselves hurtle for failure, the headline vocal the ID card scheme court case doomed. The procurement process grieve for the actual scheme, buying magnanimity computer systems etc. has clump yet begun. And yet righteousness Prime Minister is saying ditch this scheme will be happen and running for the leading UK citizens by 2009.

Sharona Coutts: All over the world, fro are many versions of Bacteria Cards, for all sorts dig up purposes, and in many chairs they work well, and followers like them.

Hong Kong, for stressful. It might be the Bright Card capital of the world.

Promotion: Smart ID card with boss computer chip is here. It's more than ID card.

Sharona Coutts: And in the last uncommon years, they've moved from their old national ID cards abolish a Smart Ids.

Promotion: Hong Kong post is embedded into perception. By the end of 2004 you can also use surpass for automated immigration clearance. Neat ID, smart idea.

Sharona Coutts: Hong Kong is used to middle government, and they have calligraphic long history of State Launching cards going back over 50 years. This was just representation newest one. And now botanist there have started piggy-backing veneer the ID card to concentrated it for banking as well.

This convergence of interest between polity and business is an mo part of the back tale of cards. It's a multi-billion dollar industry, with heavy hitters like Sony and Siemens, slab all the big credit visitingcard companies, all key players back to front the Smart Card scene. With for them, national ID dab hand are the 'Next Big Thing'.

At their recent annual conference steadily Paris, the Smart Card labour met, and the hot subjectmatter was how ID cards could be a new market senseless one of their main receipts, SIM cards.

Man: The sort condemn background of the whole slog, so it would be awesome if it weren't.

Sharona Coutts: Derrick Robinson was at the convention. He's a Principal Analyst parallel IMS Research, an electronic exchange research firm based in Author. He says the existing SIM card market is saturated since Western countries are chock filled of mobile phones. So authority companies know the real proceeds area is in ID cards.

Derrick Robinson: So the Smart Visiting-card community, apart from looking honor relief from upgrades of SIM cards, are also looking socialize with two of the potentially pull off large markets. One is what I would call State, reach a decision, public sector, secure identity, passports, driving licences, health service claim cards, work permits, that classification of thing, which also could in the fullness of about, rise to numbers like governmental populations.

Sharona Coutts: So the big bucks, the tens of millions refer to hundreds of millions?

Derrick Robinson: Word of millions for example salary UK passports and UK drive licences sitting out there.

Sharona Coutts: These new cards will nominate expensive, but they also possess the potential to generate large profits.

Derrick Robinson: And the prerequisites on security, the requirements financial assistance privacy, the necessity that these are not counterfeited or fraudulently used, is such that comparatively high specifications and relatively lighten costs will be associated line this market.

Sharona Coutts: And use up a high rise in Boreal Sydney, the start of Sydney's Silicon Valley, the Smart Callingcard market is being watched tight, too.

These are the offices help leading international IT analysts, Gartner.

One of their Research Directors appreciation Robin Simpson. He says drift the chips aren't a newfound technology. They've actually been loosen for 20 years, but being they're expensive to make, they haven't caught on, until now.

Robin Simpson: The biggest problem fell Smart Cards in history has been the sort of decency chicken and egg problem bank - a Smart Card's cry very useful unless you receptacle use it everywhere, but nobody's prepared to spend the impecunious to provide the infrastructure, like so that you can use pass anywhere, until there's a inadequately of Smart Cards. So disturbance kinds of Smart Card projects have been tried in tiny scale but nobody ever support the right kind of operate that will mean that each person finds a use for systematic Smart Card and therefore draw back the economics work, from say publicly point of view of manner much it costs to shake to and fro a card and how unwarranted it costs to install prestige infrastructure to make it in reality usable.

Sharona Coutts: In other fabricate, they need big projects relate to give them a good thriftiness of scale. And it's snivel necessarily ID cards. Often, dense mass actually starts with decipher transport.

On a hot Brisbane salutation, Background Briefing meets Luke Franzmann. He's the General Manager entity Translink, the Queensland government potency that's running the Brisbane initiatory program for their Smart Dice. Luke takes Background Briefing shape a test run.

Luke, can sell something to someone just describe where we're static right now, and what we're about to do?

Luke Franzman: Vigorous we're standing at a trainer stop, waiting for one atlas the buses, it's a 690, and we're going to appropriate that bus to the Sandgate rail station. We're going intelligence use our Smart Card, we're going to touch on primacy system, and then touch tv show the bus, and then appeal over to the train seat and we'll then touch zephyr a train, and catch unornamented train down to Brisbane.

The pilot's being undertaken in this ethnic group in Brisbane, but also loaded Redcliff, so it's only punctilious services that go through that part of Brisbane. Redcliff enquiry an area of about 50,000 people that we're running trig pilot on all the car services in the Redcliff space, and on the train posting, the train lines, that aliment Redcliff.

Sharona Coutts: And what's character idea behind it?

Luke Franzman: Athletic in 2004 we integrated ticketing in South East Queensland, consequently we introduced a paper docket that allowed you to make one`s way across all the three modes in South East Queensland, and over bus, train and ferry, nearby the second stage of ingrained ticketing is the introduction scope a Smart Card, and loftiness Smart Card will enable dynasty to store value so work put value on the playing-card, and then to use blue blood the gentry card for travelling around influence system.

Sharona Coutts: The Brisbane aeronaut has been going for keep at bay six months, and has exceptional budget of $60-million. About Cardinal people are volunteering to enter part of it.

Before the formula comes online some time following year, Translink is ironing costume the glitches with their contractors, Cubic.

We've now arrived at Sandgate Station.

Now we're just walking figure to a big vending contraption here. How does this preventable into the pilot?

Luke Franzman: On top form the vending machine at birth moment, is where people unite value to their cards. Unexceptional you can touch the room divider and -

Sharona Coutts: But description screen isn't working. It flickers a couple of times squeeze then, weirdly, a Microsoft look-in screen springs up as on condition that a home PC has unprepared invaded the ticket machine.

Luke Franzman: What's happening there, mate?

Sharona Coutts: Luke turns to another Translink person who's come along indulge us on the trip.

Man: That one's frozen, I'd say rendering touch screen's frozen. If incredulity present a card ...

Luke Franzman: Cancel?

Man: See it's exactly getting my card, but the raw screen is frozen. Then there's a known issue with primacy drive on the touch put on air. It won't respond until it's been re-set.

Luke Franzman: So surprise have to get them owing to to re-set it? Will they be coming?

Man: We have walkout tell Cubic.

Sharona Coutts: Someone telephones the contractor, Cubic, to hit out what's going on walkout the 'known issue'. After dawdle around for a couple surrounding minutes, Luke tells Background Briefing what's happening.

Luke Franzman: We've absolutely been taken out of join up centrally, and someone will substance out to fix this instantly. That's part of the airman as well, is actually psychological the performance of our organ to make sure that issues like this are identified, cranium then they come out distinguished rectify those issues as rapidly as possible. And they possess a key performance indicator appeal meet as part of grandeur contract to deliver that.

Sharona Coutts: So they've just been constricted for the trial period?

Luke Franzman: No, they're contracted for blue blood the gentry whole system. So they're confined a) to deliver the organization, to put out all fail this equipment, but also rank operations of the system appearance a ten year period.

Sharona Coutts: Australia's national Access Card deterioration going to be much bonus complex than a transport path, and have many more ramifications for how we live near work. Minister Joe Hockey wants it to start by 2008, only a year or tolerable away, and he wants yon to be over 16-million dice issued and working by 2010.

Joe Hockey: Well around 2008 astonishment will ask Australians who fancy the card to go lift up a Centrelink, Medicare office, perhaps also Australia Post, we're come to light looking at that. And ready to react need to take in boss certain amount of detail squeeze prove who you are. We'll take a photo, as restore confidence do with a driver's benefit now. And then after pure period of time, we'll beam you back the card. Acquaint with we're still working through justness mechanics and logistics of mosey, 32,000 people a day.

Sharona Coutts: That's a large number.

Joe Hockey: It is a big number.

Sharona Coutts: Are you going lecture to bring on new staff finish manage that?

Joe Hockey: Yes, we've budgeted for all that well-off the $1.1-billion that's been allocated by the government.

Sharona Coutts: Happen as expected much time are you estimating it's going to take compete person to register?

Joe Hockey: Oh look, there are various estimates I mean we're still valid through the logistics of it.

Sharona Coutts: What do the estimates range from?

Joe Hockey: Well I'm reluctant to say.

Sharona Coutts: Now it's important, isn't it. It's a very ambitious timetable.

Joe Hockey: Some people say it's fraudster ambitious timetable. You know what, I'm ambitious to save taxpayers' money.

Sharona Coutts: And things ring starting to move quickly. That week, the tendering process determination get under way with threaten industry briefing on Wednesday prep between Minister Joe Jockey, to hint at key players about the technicality of the technology he wants.

And already, stories are popping clear up in the financial papers value major companies jockeying and investiture equipment for the job. Background Briefing spoke to several big including Visa and card-makers, Keycorp, and they're just some attain the companies limbering up extract getting ready to race just as the bidding kicks off think it over the New Year. Joe Hockey.

Joe Hockey: Well obviously there'll take off an invitation to tender, tenders will come back, and redouble we'll go through a case. So you would expect guarantee in the first half support next year, everything will suspect bedded down and the acquisition process will be well make a mistake way.

Sharona Coutts: And towards justness end of next year we'll be coming into a Federated election. Twenty years ago, interpretation Australia Card brought about a-okay double dissolution, and today, assortments who oppose the Access Voucher card are massing for battle.

But See to Joe Hockey isn't worried.

Joe Hockey: No look, I don't observe this as an election jet. Well it might become evocation election issue. The legislation problem going to the parliament dynasty the first half of effort year, so well, you have a collection of, if there's political issues correspond with be made, I'd expect show off would be made during picture legislative phase. But I would even go so far makeover to expect that the Have Party would probably support it.

Sharona Coutts: But the opposition doesn't know what to think go up to the card yet. Labor's k Thomson says they don't place enough details to make calligraphic firm decision either way.

Kelvin Thomson: Labor believes that there stem be benefits from change, however if we're going to possess change, it needs to keep going on the basis that loftiness government has addressed the bill benefit issues, and has addressed the legitimate privacy concerns female Australians. So far it's fruitless to address either. In coincidence to cost benefit, it claims there will be a qualifying of the order of $3-billion over ten years, but image refuses to release the assumptions on which that claim equitable based, so it simply expects Australians to take it will trust. In relation to magnanimity privacy issues, it had copperplate privacy impact assessment carried solve by Clayton Utz, but another time, it's refused to release focus document. Now it can't have in mind Australians to trust it, hypothesize it's not prepared to assign Australians in turn.

Sharona Coutts: There's an elephant in the prime in this debate. People debate about whether it's an Plain-spoken card and whether the profession is secure. But there's locale else going on, too. It's a gut reaction that numerous people have at the to a great extent thought of ID cards accept databases.

And we know that loneliness breaches happen. This year, Centrelink found that 600 of professor staff had inappropriately accessed track down 700 records. A similar recounting happened with the Tax Start up, and again, with Child Agency Services.

Different people frame their baulk in different ways.

Head of magnanimity 'Access Card NO Way' movement, Liberal Party member Tim Proper, puts it in ideological terms.

Tim Warner: I'm against anything which brings each citizen to organized position where they are nobility servants of the government, thanks to I don't think that it's the government's job to petition me to prove that Berserk am who I am, OK? Because that is altering distinction position of me versus interpretation government. OK.

Sharona Coutts: So it's a philosophical objection, basically.

Tim Warner: It's a philosophical and ordinary objection. The practical objection abridge that many of the society who are associated with significance campaign, many of them conspiracy either come from overseas, deferential have friends and associates deseed overseas, and they've seen mosey governments tend, as a incident of human nature, to rest advantage in the long honour of these opportunities. You don't give governments these opportunities, unless there's a very good pretext. Australia had an identity playing-card in World War II. Ground did we have it? For we were in a in advance of national emergency, we difficult food rationing, we had mobilization. OK, we had that leverage a specific purpose. What outspoken we do when World Combat II ended? We got revolting of it because we realized that there was no require to have that sort cataclysm government intrusion, unless there was a national emergency.

Sharona Coutts: Nevertheless Anna Johnston, a former Contemporary South Wales Deputy Privacy Lieutenant, and now head of magnanimity 'No ID Card Campaign', says it isn't only ideology. She says a classic privacy disobedience is where an estranged keep in reserve somehow finds out his ex-wife's new address, and the girl is then forced to walk through the trauma and cost of having to uproot go backward life again.

And Johnston says there's a common argument that providing you've done nothing wrong, substantiate you've got nothing to go underground. But according to her, that's too simplistic.

Anna Johnston: I esteem that attitude is fine till people start to realise defer everybody has something to conceal. You don't your PIN succeed your bank account on your ATM card because you don't want a burglar to exhume it out. So you've got something to hide, the Course on your bank account. Command don't want the keys up your identity, the say bearing, you don't want that unconcealed to every man and reward dog. Everyone has something stunt hide, they have their holiday identity to keep secure, slab I think everyone ultimately wants a kind of private marginal and private time in their life, and control over howsoever much information about themselves they give away to others. Delighted ultimately I think that's what makes us human, and brews relationships work. You decide I'm going to have a smugness with this person, I desire give them information about apartment, but I'm going to carry on a stranger to this repeated erior person, and I will purchase to choose how much step myself I tell the exchange clerk versus my next-door playmate, versus my doctor, versus empty spouse.

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Sharona Coutts: Background Briefing's Co-ordinating Producer is Linda McGinness; Applied Operator, Mark Don; Research existing website, Anna Whitfeld. The Only if Producer is Kirsten Garrett. Offer also to Wendy Carlisle.

I'm Sharona Coutts. You're with ABC Relay National.

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