Liberal Senator Alex Antic has warned Australia is a step closer to a dystopian digital future after the Digital ID bill passed the Senate.
Mr. Antic is one of multiple parliamentarians who were alarmed about the legislation passing through the Senate chamber without debate on March 27.
“The Bill will now pass to the House of Representatives for ‘debate.’”
However, the government moved amendments in the Senate to confirm the digital ID will be “voluntary” for individuals accessing government services.
Minister for Public Service Katy Gallagher said Digital ID is a “secure, convenient and voluntary” way to verify identity without having to repeatedly share sensitive documents like passports and birth certificates.
“‘Australians will be sharing less personal information, which is held by fewer organisations, that are subject to stronger regulation—reducing the chance of identity theft online.”
However, Mr. Antic expressed reservations about the voluntary nature of the legislation and warned about the danger of central control.
“This is really really bad stuff. First of all, the bill itself is bad and in my view it will set the tone for a digital future,” he said.
“I mean at some point, it is going to be very difficult for people to resist using this in order to access businesses and services.
“At the moment the bill doesn’t require you to have a digital ID, but we’ve heard overtures about systems being voluntary before haven’t we. And we know what governments do when they get centralised control of these sorts of systems.”
The senator said he voted against the legislation, and it will now move to the lower house of parliament.
“It is now up to lower house federal members of parliament to vote against this bill. And look all I can say is, speak to your local member about this bill, speak to your local federal member of parliament about opposing this bill, because Australia is now another step closer to a dystopian digital future.”
Life is About to Change: One Nation Senator
One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts said the digital ID law is the most significant legislation he has seen in his time in the Senate.Mr. Roberts said life is about to change for every Australian.
“As much as Senator Gallagher seeks to downplay the significance of introducing one central digital identifier for each and every Australian, the reality is that this is the most significant legislation I’ve seen in my time in the Senate,” he said.
“The government knows that digital ID will be compulsory by the device of preventing access to government services, banking services, air travel and major purchases for any Australian who does not have a digital ID.”
Mr. Roberts claimed the digital ID would create a live data file of movements, purchases, accounts, and associates with a reference to every piece of data being held in the private and government sectors as the “first step in a wider agenda.”
“Google, Facebook and other tech giants have been building huge data files on every Australian for years. Those huge data files contain every website you’ve visited, every post you made on their social media and everything you have ever bought online, and the keyword scan from conversations overheard by Siri and Alexa in your home are now unmasked,” he said.
One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson said nine laws were rushed through the Senate on March 27 with no debate or scrutiny.
“One of them has horrifying consequences for our future and our freedom: the Digital ID Bill 2023,” she said.
Gallagher Celebrates Passage of Legislation
Meanwhile, Ms. Gallagher cheered on the bill’s passage through the Senate via a post to X with two celebration icons on March 27.“The Albanese Labor Government is making it easier, simpler and more secure for you to access government services online,” Ms. Gallagher said.
Ms. Gallagher added that all Australian government agencies will need to provide an alternative way, other than digital ID, for individuals to access government services.
The minister said the digital ID is enabling the government to respond to a rise in third party data breaches.
“The Digital ID system has undergone extensive consultation over many years (including during the Coalition’s time in government) as well as a Senate Economics Legislation Committee inquiry last month where the Committee recommended the Bill be passed,” she said.
In Australia, residents can already use a digital ID to sign up for government services, including MyGov, Centrelink, Medicare, and the Australian Tax Office.
“More than 10.5 million Australians have already created an account with the Federal Government’s Digital ID system, myGovID, to access more than 130 government services,” Ms. Gallagher noted.
