Australian Government considers ID card

News 24
Dec. 30, 2005

PHILIP Ruddock is treating the controversial national identity card as the "the next cab off the rank" for the Howard Government's security agenda following the passage of its tough anti-terrorism laws.

The Attorney-General will present the findings of a departmental review of the new Australia Card proposal to cabinet early next year.

Having ruled out the introduction of any form of compulsory ID card in recent years, the Australia Card issue was put back on the agenda by John Howard following the London terrorist bombings in July. The Attorney-General's Department is well advanced in its review of the proposal, which will form the basis of Mr Ruddock's advice to cabinet.

"There's been no formal submission to cabinet at this point, but there is a review process in place looking at the pros and cons of a national ID card," a spokeswoman for Mr Ruddock said.

"The review of the ID card is something that's been taken up now the anti-terrorism laws have been passed. It's the next cab off the rank."

The tightening of anti-terrorism legislation and the review of the national ID card proposal were the two priority items handed to the Attorney-General's Department after the London bombings.

Mr Ruddock has not supported the introduction of a national ID card in the past. He told an audience of experts one week before the London attacks that a single-card identification scheme could be counter-productive "because just one document would need to be counterfeited" to create a false identity.

The ID card has some support in cabinet among ministers who believe it could assist in the fight against terrorism. But the proposal has been strongly opposed by privacy advocates.