Minister Hockey's proposed 'smartcard' must undergo an independent Privacy Impact Assessment to consider the privacy impact for Australians, according to the Australian Democrats.
"At this stage, the 'smartcard' and the proposed national ID card are separate issues, but this card may be the precursor to the greatest privacy threat posed to Australians by this Government," Democrats' Attorney-Generals and Privacy Spokesperson Senator Natasha Stott Despoja said.
"If this proposal is approved by cabinet, Australians have a right to know that their privacy concerns will be addressed, before it goes ahead.
"We need to know what information will be attached to this card; exactly who will be entitled to access the information; what protections will be in place to ensure prevention of misuse of the information; will the information be kept in a centralised database; and, what are the prospects for any future additional uses for the card or 'function creep'?
"Privacy Impact Assessments should form a uniform and regulated approach to considering the privacy implication of proposals such as this.
"I await the Government's response to questions I asked during Senate estimates on this issue," Senator Stott Despoja said.
