Protection from Big Brother

Would the Coalition have blocked the Australia Card if it knew what was coming?

It overlooked one thing. Opponents claimed it was Big Brother intruding into every aspect of people's lives, unaware that computers and the internet were going to make it increasingly difficult for the average citizen to avoid government red tape and the complexity of conducting everyday business transactions. Stories about those who have been victims of identity fraud, cheated by cybernet criminals or just caught up trying to get through to someone in authority are legion.

Successive governments have promised to reduce red tape. The reverse has occurred. Those applying for a pension, unemployment, sickness benefits or any other of the 40-odd other government assistance programs are shocked by the amount of paperwork required to prove their identity, employment, financial status and much more.

Establishing your identity may sound easy, but if you haven't a birth certificate, passport or a driver's licence it can be a nightmare.

Opponents claimed that having to carry an identity card was similar to practices common in the worst totalitarian regimes. They conveniently ignored the fact the US, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and many other countries have some form of national identification without which it is impossible to get a job, collect a pension or vote.

Incidentally, voter identification is one of the side benefits of an ID card and it is a handy weapon in the fight against terrorism. No country is more protective of its civil liberties than the US and it has had a social security card since 1935. More than 98 per cent of Americans have one.

If we didn't require the myriad cards essential to function in a modern computerised society, there might be an argument against an identity card, but we do require them so it should not be beyond the wit of government to design one that provides basic data without adding to information already widely available.

I don't expect the Prime Minister to stick his neck out on this one because he would be well aware of the scare campaign that the Coalition could mount if it were truly desperate.

Many MPs will tell you they privately favour an ID card. Once it was believed it would be a threat to every citizen's privacy. Nowadays we need one to protect us from big government and big business.