The Federal government calls it a ‘Human Services Access Card’
We call it for what it is: a National ID Card System
Frequently Asked Question No. 12
Does the public support the Government’s proposal?
It’s diffiicult to know what the public thinks, because the public doesn’t yet understand what the proposition is. To a considerable extent, neither do we. The Government has ensured that there’s a lot of uncertainty by refusing to release important information.
The APF’s position is that, once the public understands what the Government is actually up to, they will reject the ‘Access Card’ as resoundingly as they rejected the Australia Card two decades earlier.
But, for what it’s worth, here are some things that we’ve seen:
Opinion Polls
Things didn’t start too well for the Government.
On 23 July 2005, The Canberra Times reported that “A Morgan poll [which was an Australian-wide cross-section of 651 men and women aged 14 and over] conducted by phone on Wednesday and Thursday [20-21 July 2005] found that 62% of Australians agreed with the introduction of a national ID card with a photograph, while 32% opposed it, and 6% were undecided. Pollster Gary Morgan said “Australians are clearly in favour … This is driven by the fear of terrorist attacks and illegal immigration. … Clearly many people would like to see the identification card replace other forms of identification, but there are still some concerns regarding privacy and the effectiveness of the card in combating terrorism”. (If 1,250 nationwide is computed to achieve +/- 4% accuracy, then 650 achieves maybe +/-10%).
Morgan also offered the figures he got back in July 1985, in the early stages of the original Australia Card campaign: 68% in favour, 25% opposed, and 7% undecided.
The 2005 result was based on the completely false assumption projected by the Government at that time that the card would assist in the fight against terrorism. Once that myth had been dispelled, a Channel Nine Sunday Poll published on 30 April 2006, gave the following results: “Should Australia introduce a compulsory ID card? Yes – 32% No – 68%”.
Letters to the Editor
Here’s a collection of Letters to the Editor.
If you are aware of errors or omissions in this document, please let us know.
Go back to the previous FAQ Go to the next FAQ