Access Card should be ordered off the field for good

Yet, despite many independent commentators, experts, politicians, and ordinary citizens warning of the Orwellian nature of this proposal, the government appears to be intent on persevering with the access card (although whether or not it will in fact go ahead - especially before the election - is another matter).

In its latest reincarnation, the Access Card proposal now consists of two bills, the exposure draft Human Services (Enhanced Services Delivery) (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2007 and the original Human Services (Enhanced Services Delivery) Bill 2007. In the second bill the detail (or lack thereof) of the Access Card has finally been laid bare.

Now in a last ditch effort to get the scheme off the ground, the public and other stakeholders have until August 21 to scrutinise the exposure draft as to how it will protect privacy, secure personal information, save taxpayers' money and prevent against fraud.

Perhaps, rather than resurrecting the access card for further battle, the government would have been better to start again. As suggested elsewhere by many interest groups, privacy commissioners, and bidders, it makes sense to simplify and upgrade the existing Medicare scheme through a smart card that isn’t dependent on mandatory photographs on the surface of the card. It also makes sense to have a separate system which solely deals with government benefits and concessions. A third system, which deals with health information, could also be a viable alternative from the current proposal of having health information stored on part of the microchip.

There is one last, but important issue which relates to accountability. The Auditor-General this month announced a potential investigation into the Access Card procurement process this financial year.

The Australian National Audit Office intends to examine the Department of Human Services' administration of major procurements to introduce the access card, including the tender process; services standard; performance monitoring; and processes and practices for making payments under relevant contracts.

In the next couple of months it is likely that as well as scrutiny from the public, the Minister and his department will also face some serious questioning as to the worth of this project from the Auditor-General. The audit will occur before the government has signed any contracts and may be viewed as a failure by the government to consult and properly detail the breakdown of spending on the Access Card.

The current proposal for an Australian smart card puts every Australian’s personal and health information at risk. If this new technology is to be deployed, we as consumers have the right to expect that at the very least the government will get the design of the scheme right. Will they get it right in an election year that is proving to have more than its fair share of other distractions? I guess time will tell.

Rather than wait for another failed IT project, we should not allow the government another opportunity to devise band-aid measures. The decision-making process should be out of the hands of the government and in community hands with a vote of no confidence in this proposal. Such a vote worked for the people of Ontario whose government was forced to cancel its Citizen ID Card Project in 2002.