Australia: The $1 Billion House Of Cards
Nick Miller reports for the Sydney Morning Herald on the Australian government's Federal Human Services Minister Joe Hockey and his plans 17 old government identity cards into one computer chip-based smartcard in a A$1.1 billion project over the next four years.
Mr Hockey says the best is yet to come with the smartcard, as more government departments and private businesses piggyback on to the network he has created."The most significant benefit of our card beyond what it does within my own department is that we are investing in the infrastructure that is going to be the basis for card transactions into the future," he says.
"The credit card and banking industry generally, together with the state governments, will adopt the standards and encryption that we establish.
"We are going to build the railway line with a single gauge and there will be multiple trains owned by many different people that will run along the line."
He predicts everyone will have a smartcard reader at home, connecting us to a universe of secure government services.
Add your comment... (note that all comments are reviewed before they're published)