The proposed Australian health and welfare card isn't an ID
card, and will not be compulsory, but it will be necessary 
for access to Government services and benefits, and the data
will be available to police and intelligence services - in
effect, an identity card by function, even if not by name.

=============================================================

Police to get smartcard data

James Riley and Simon Kearney
APRIL 28, 2006

INTELLIGENCE agencies and police will be given access to a vast
database of "biometric" photographs of Australians to be created 
for the new health and welfare smart card to fight terrorism and 
more general crime.

ASIO and the Federal Police will be allowed routine access to the
smart card database on national security issues, while state police
will have restricted access for general crime investigations.

The Prime Minister said this week government would proceed with a $1
billion plan to issue Australians with a health and welfare smart
card, but ruled out developing a compulsory national ID scheme.

The card would have a highly accurate photograph, with the detailed
information about the person's face recorded on the computer chip
embedded in the card.

The photo and the chip would be checked against a central government
database. 

[...]

The identity database attached to the smart card plan will include
sophisticated face-recognition software that will let law enforcement
agencies quickly identify from photographs or closed circuit
television pictures the name and address of suspects.

Called the Secure Common Registration System, the identity will also
be used by other departments - like Immigration - to avoid mistaken
identity problems highlighted by the Cornelia Rau and Vivian Alvarez
cases.

Human Services Minister Joe Hockey defended giving intelligence
agencies and police access to system.

"The government will do whatever it takes in terms of protecting the
national interest and protecting individual interests from terrorism." 

[...]

Full article at "Australian IT" ....
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/
0,7204,18956304%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00. html


Cheers, Steve..

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