Report - Guardian

84 The LSE Identity Project Report: June 2005impositions rather than take the road of broadening nationalfreedoms.” 208By mid-September, the Government was facing an internal crisis. The left of the partyhad broken ranks to oppose the card, 209 while right wing members (particularly those inmarginal seats) were expressing concern within caucus. 210 Deputy Prime MinisterLionel Bowen urged the Party to tread with caution, and suggested that a re-think mightbe necessary. 211Within weeks, in the face of mass public protests, a party revolt and civil disobedience,the government scrapped the ID card proposal. It was provided with the convenientface-saver of a technical flaw in the legislation revealed by opposition senator JohnStone. The government had the option of re-introducing the legislation, but did not needto do so. Journalists reported that the government was overwhelmed with joy that theflaw had been discovered.All these years later, this case sounds a warning to other governments on identity cards,although it should be said that it has not prevented a slow movement towards a nationalidentity system.Australia is imposing basic biometrics into passports, but this will be limited to a digitalphotograph. It will result in a AU$19 increase in the cost of passports. 212 As part of abroad National Identity Security Strategy, the Government is also planning a national“document verification service” designed to combat identity-related fraud. This wouldenable the cross-checking of birth certificates, driver’s licences and passports through acentral data exchange hub. 213 The Government is opposed to the introduction of a singlenumber to identify every Australian.CanadaThe issue of identity cards in Canada had a short lifespan. This may in part be becausethe Canadian Government never actually introduced a specific proposal. Rather, theMinister of Citizenship and Immigration proposed a national discussion on identitycards on the grounds that if Canada did not consider and identity system, it mightinstead be imposed upon Canadians because of US border restrictions. According to theminister at the time, Denis Coderre:“If you have that entry-and-exit program when you will have to befingerprinted, you will say, ‘I’m a Canadian citizen, why do you needmy fingerprints and what are you going to do with it?’ Well, wouldn’tyou like to have a debate among ourselves and say, as Canadians, wewill build that the Canadian way? If we can have the technology with208 The Australian Financial Review, 28 August 1987209 Daily Telegraph, Sydney, September 8, 1987210 The Sun Herald, Sydney, 13 September, 1987211 Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 19 September, 1987212 ‘ID fraud on Budget hit-list’, James Riley, Australian IT, May 10, 2005.213 ‘Privacy ‘risk’ in national ID plan’, James Riley, The Australian, January 21, 2005.