The health and social services access card: What will it mean for Australians?

This paper provides a history of identity documents in Australia and of the events leading up to the recent government proposal for a health and social services smartcard known as the Access card. It examines the reasons behind the government¿s decision to proceed with the Access card as well as the features that it will contain. Various criticisms in relation to the card are discussed including the proposed purpose of the card, the administrative scheme, and the adequacy of privacy protection. Some conclusions are drawn about whether, despite the government¿s claims, the card represents a de facto national identity card.