Health and social services access card (Australia)

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The health and social services access card is a proposed Australian Government non-compulsory health and social services access card. John Howard, the then Australian Prime Minister announced its introduction on Wednesday 26 April 2006. Any Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident wishing to access services administered by the Department of Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs or (from 2010) the universal Medicare system would have needed to acquire one. The card was to be phased in over two years, beginning in 2008. The election of the Labor Party in November 2007 terminated the project.

1 Purpose
- 1.1 Privacy
2 Similar programs in other countries
3 Function creep and unintended outcomes
4 Implementation
- 4.1 Card description
- 4.2 Registration
5 Closing of Project
6 Notes
7 External links

[edit] Purpose

Services to be accessed with the HSSAC include:

Welfare benefits, as administered by Centrelink. This includes:
- unemployment,
- disability,
- veterans and
- study allowances.
The Health Care Card and Seniors Health Card
Medicare subsidised health care, both bulk-billing and claim back.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), which provides subsidised medications.
Child Support Agency Australia services
CRS Australia vocational rehabilitation

One of the criticisms of the Access Card is that the need to use the card to access welfare and medical services makes the card, in effect, compulsory. It has been suggested that this is another attempt establish an Australia Card.^[1] On the other hand, Department of Human Services Secretary, Patricia Scott, told a Senate committee on 16 February 2007 that the wrongful detention of Cornelia Rau - who was held by immigration authorities for 10 months, despite being a legal resident- would not have occurred if the Access card was running.^[2]

[edit] Privacy

The Government established a Consumer and Privacy Taskforce under former competition commission head Prof Allan Fels. ^[3] A discussion paper raising privacy concerns was issued on the 15th of June 2006.^[4] The first report by the Taskforce was released in September 2006^[5] and the Governments rejected or partly rejected four recommendations of the 26 made by the taskforce in November 2006.^[6]

The Bill to implement the first stage of this scheme is the Human Services (enhanced service delivery) Bill 2007. The Bill was offered as an exposure draft on 13th December 2006 for a four week period during which submission would be take. Some minor improvements resulted. The Bill was tabled and a Senate Inquiry started on February 8th 2007^[7]. the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration was given the task^[8]. The Committee called for submissions and heard testimony, then wrote a report all in six weeks. The Report ^[9]delivered on 15th March 2007 was scathing of the Bill in the form presented. demanding it be withdrawn and key provisions be re-thought. It also strongly recommended that the oversight and privacy provisions not await a later unseen Bill but be included in one package. The Minister, Senator Chris Ellison, has withdrawn the Bill to implement the Committees recommendations ^[10]. A notable feature of the report was that the Majority Report was written by Liberal Senators Mason, Fifield and Watson, a striking case of Senatorial independence^[11].

[edit] Similar programs in other countries

The United Kingdom is also introducing a non-compulsory identity card: the British national identity card. France has had a similar, but less sophisticated, card for many years: the French national identity card. Other European and Asian nations have national identity cards.

[edit] Function creep and unintended outcomes

The Card is the physical manifestation of the National Identity Register, this will have the 17 classes of information outlined in the Act. The supporters of the present Bill point to prohibitions within the Bill and the invoking of the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 to protect this information. At hearings in March 2007, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian Federal Police confirmed that all such information will be available to them without warrant.^[12] This was not put forward as part of the original case, and if anything was denied as possible outcome. The Australian Bankers Association has also called for limited access to the database to help prove identity of new customers.

[edit] Implementation

On 22 January 2007, Joe Hockey, who had been heading the Access Card project, was appointed Workplace Relations minister. Former Environment minister Ian Campbell took over the Access Card program to implement the card in an election year.^[13] On 3 March, Ian Campbell tendered his resignation which was accepted.^[14] The new Minister is Senator Chris Ellison formerly the Justice Minister ^[15]. The project's chief technology officer is Marie Johnson.^[16]

The Office of Access Card has issued a systems integrator request for tender (RFT) closing on 1 March 2007, with the contract expected to be signed between May and June 2007^{[update needed]} .^[17]

[edit] Card description

The Access Card is a Smartcard. Smartcard technology differs from ordinary magnetic strip cards in that the card contains a microchip rather than a simple magnetic strip. This means that instead of the card containing a number that relates to a record in a database, the data (usually encrypted) is actually stored on the card.

The Card is intended to have a photograph, the usual name of the holder - it does not have to be the legal name - the signature, the expiry date and the ID Number will all be visible on the front or rear of the Card. The chip is expected to include your legal name, address, date of birth, details of children or other dependants, digitised photo, signature, card number, expiry date, gender, concession status and your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Additional personal information can also be added at the will of the card holder. Such information may include next of kin, organ donor status or drug allergies and also, according to Joe Hockey the former responsible government minister, shopping lists and perhaps MP3s. Extra personal information will be secured with your pin, so only those who need it have access to it.^[18]

The card will have two card software platforms:^[19]

The card management system (CMS) will manage and track access cards throughout their seven-year lifecycle.
The key management system (KMS) will provide security protections for card data.

[edit] Registration

Registration will require an interview that is planned to average 12 minutes. At the Interview a bio-metric photo will be taken along with full documentation to prove you are the person you claim to be (birth certificates, credit cards, bills etc - similar to the 100 point financial services test) will need to be shown and copied for permanent storage. This will occur at special offices in the initial two year registration period, after that at selected Post Offices at every seven year renewal.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Closing of Project

In November 2007 the incoming Labor Government announced it was terminating the Access Card project^[20] , the Office of the Access Card and all associated entities. The Labor Party had initially supported the Access Card in principle, but with caveats over its' implementation. However, in October the half way house policy was abandoned and a complete repudiation was decided upon ^[21].