Photo card an 'attack on freedom'

THE Photo Card Bill that has passed through the NSW's lower house represented the "most fundamental attack on our personal freedoms since the failed Australia Card proposal of the 1980s", Australian Privacy Foundation chair Anna Johnston said.

The legislation allows the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority to create a single database that will hold personal information about every adult in the state so that it can issue photo identity cards to people aged over 16 who do not have a driver's licence.

NSW Transport Minister Michael Costa introduced the bill into Parliament last December, to facilitate the RTA's plan to supply photo identity cards to non-drivers via the state's motor registry offices.

Mr Costa said the photo card would be a voluntary form of identification. The bill passed the lower house without opposition, and is expected to be debated in the Legislative Council shortly.

But Ms Johnston said the legislation allowed for "an all-purpose identity card" and the creation of a centralised database of information that could be shared between NSW state departments agencies.

The bill placed no limits on how much information the RTA could collect about people, and few limits on who could access the data, she said.

"There has been almost no debate, and no public consultation," Ms Johnston said. "This is the worst kind of Big Brother proposal. The government plans to introduce a central database to hold the personal details of the entire NSW population.

"One of the biggest privacy risks is the creation of a unique identifier for every person - the number shown on the card. That will allow both governments and businesses to track, link and profile people's movements and transactions."

Ms Johnston said a centralised database also posed greater security risks to people as it would act as a "great honeypot" for organised criminals, terrorists and others intent on doing harm.