Darren Churchill: Australian Democrats Campaigns

Bring Back Balance

ACT Democrats 2007

Media Release 23 November 2007

Democrats warn about Databases and Identity Theft

“How much personal data should the government be allowed to keep about people? Identity theft is a real concern and highlights the dangers of an Access Card” warns outspoken ID card/database opponent and Australian Democrats candidate for Fraser, Darren Churchill.

In July 2000 the Liberal government with the support of the Labor opposition set up Crimtrac, an agency supposedly to facilitate sharing of criminal information between states/territories. It also has access to information about minor traffic infringements and parking fines. And has recently been classified as an enforcement agency.

Last nights episode of Lateline, on ABC TV contained a report about two computer disks being stolen/missing from a government department in the United Kingdom due to an administrative bungle. The disks contained personal information about people receiving government benefits.

The Australian government plans to replace the Medicare Card with an Access Card (a national identity card with data storage and record keeping capabilities) by 2010.

“This shows why an identity card is such a ridiculous idea. Imagine what would happen with cards containing peoples’ personal information and able to be accessed by anyone with a scanner, being lost. Identity theft is allegedly the fastest growing white-collar crime in the UK. And the British had the sense not to go down the Identity Card line. But even that hasn’t avoided the loss of stored personal information.” Mr Churchill said.

“The questions that have to be answered are:

• Does the government need to keep centralised personalised information?
• How much information is allowed to be held about a person?
• What right’s to challenge personal information held in databases (accuracy and whether the person wants that information held at all) are put in place?
• How open, accountable transparent and available is a person’s right to know the information held about them?
• And is there a limit on how long information can be held?”

We need answers to these questions!“ Mr Churchill insisted

“It is horrendous that the Liberals want to take us down this path. And that Labor won’t speak out against it.”

“We delude ourselves if we think large-scale identity theft can’t happen in Australia. Centralised databases and ID cards are a serious threat to privacy. We need safeguards to protect our personal financial, health and welfare information, and restriction on what is actually allowed to be held about people.” declared a concerned Mr Churchill.

Darren Churchill

Australian Democrats candidate for Fraser

Darren.Churchill@act.democrats.org.au

0412 196 473

Bring Back Balance

ACT Democrats 2007

Media Release 20 November 2007

Only the Democrats will protect your privacy

“We will stop mobile phones from being bugging devices!” declared privacy campaigner and Australian Democrats candidate for Fraser, Darren Churchill

The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment Bill 2007 which gives significant new powers to law enforcement agencies to listen to private conversations, was passed by the Liberal government with the support of the Labor opposition in September

There is no provision for them to require a warrant. And no accountability to the courts or to the parliament. The government plans to replace the Medicare Card with an Access Card (a national identity card) by 2010.

The Democrats Privacy Policy and Access Card survey were released by Senator Natasha Stott Despoja in Adelaide today.

“We need to reform the Privacy Act to give people greater protection. Our privacy laws haven’t kept pace with new technologies. Anti-terror laws forced through by the government and the opposition have increased the powers of enforcement agencies, but have failed to guarantee protection of privacy.” Mr Churchill said

“There is no accountability, no checks and balances under these laws. The Democrats are committed to reform the Privacy Act to ensure peoples’ privacy and to making sure the draconian anti-terror laws are wound back immediately”

“Peoples’ right to privacy includes being protected from the introduction of an Access Card. It is nothing short of a national identity card, and will create the largest mass centralisation of personal information we have ever seen in Australia” Mr Churchill said. “The government claims it won’t be compulsory, but people won’t be able to use government services without it. That mightn’t be technically compulsory, but it is coercion, a bit like the poll tax the Thatcher government had in the UK.”

“The Access Card is worse that the old Australia Card which was proposed in the 1980s because technology and the ability to store and track personal information is so much more sophisticated than it was back then”

Mr Churchill (who was involved in the anti-Australia Card rallies of 1986) said “Only by the Democrats using the balance of power to block the Australia Card were we able to see it eventually abandoned. Again, it is only the Democrats who will protect people from the Access Card and centralised data bases now.”

“Even the best intended privacy legislation will not prevent future governments from increasing the coverage and uses of the card (function creep). It has the potential to become a domestic passport and will enable peoples’ every movement to be tracked.” Mr Churchill said.

“The Democrats survey showed that 73% of people are opposed to an ID card outright. I will continue to campaign against an Access Card, as the Democrats and I have always done. Democrats are the only party that can be trusted to protect your privacy.” Mr Churchill concluded.

Darren Churchill

Australian Democrats candidate for Fraser

Darren.Churchill@act.democrats.org.au

0412 196 473