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From: root@cit5.oz (Admin)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: social security number
Message-ID: <630@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM>
Date: Thu, 6-Aug-87 21:27:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: hplabsz.630
Posted: Thu Aug  6 21:27:07 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Aug-87 18:37:50 EDT
References: <2263@hplabsc.HP.COM>
Sender: taylor@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM
Distribution: world
Organization: Chisholm Institute of Technology, Melb, Australia
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Approved: taylor@hplabs

It may be of general interest to the outside world that here in Australia
the Labour Government is desperately trying to establish what is known as
the "Australia Card", which will have to be produced for just about any
major activity that a person could be involved in. This includes dealing
with any government or semi-government department, buying or selling
real estate, buying or selling shares, opening a bank account, etc, etc, etc.
There are steep fines (and possibly jail sentences) for failing to report the
loss of a card, missusing a card, etc.

It is costing a huge amount of money to install and will cost private 
industry untold amounts of money to modify existing systems to cope with this
new (mandatory?) form of identification.

The reported benefits of this card (government propaganda) is the elimination
of social security and tax cheats. It is generally known that the card will 
not have much effect on these cheats. There are no other reported benefits to
the government and certainly no benefits to the general public. 

The disadvantages are obviously a major step towards a "Big Brother" society,
and the cost in implementing a system that appears to be unable to achieve
its reported goals.

Someone recently said that the only difference between the "Australia Card"
and identification papers in Communist countries is the greater efficiency
provided by the computer systems involved. 

Heaven help Australian Democracy!   :-(