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WorldLII >> Categories >> Countries >> Australia >> By Subject >> Privacy >> Surveillance

• The Australia Card: towards a national surveillance system [Search]
  Article by Graham Greenleaf, Law Society Journal (NSW) Vol 25 No9, October 1987 This is a long article analysing the Australia Card Bill 1986 and its implications, but the scheme is summarised in the attached Tables.
• Can the data matching epidemic be controlled? [Search]
  Article by Graham Greenleaf, (1991) 65 ALJ 220-23 (reprinted in vol 7 Computer Law and Security Report, 1989 15-17. Mainly about the mechanics (and some dangers) of the Data-matching legislation
• Data-matching programs reviewed [Search]
  Tim Dixon, (1995) 2 PLPR 10, concludes that the 4th set of reports (1993-94) 'confirms trends identified in Clarke's analysis'; DSS seems to claim $63M net gain (previous estimate only 21.1M!), but other agencies claim to have made virtually nothing or lost money (ATO);Th e cost/ direct benefit ratio is falling - will be 1/2 in 97-98, but DSS claims an estimated $90M extra recouped through 'voluntary compliance'.
• Efficiency Audit Department of Social Security Data-matching
  ANAO found that data matching did not outperform random selection drawn from specific client groups re cancellations and downward reviews
• G Greenleaf "Data matching in Australia - the facts" [1995] PLPR 75
  There is little data matching between Commonwealth agencies and the private sector or State agencies. It seems Commonwealth agencies just use demand powers to get information on identified individuals.
• Lessons from the Australia Card - deux ex machina? [Search]
  Article by Graham Greenleaf, Computer Law and Security Report Vol 3 No 6, March/April 1988. The Australian Labor Government's proposals for a national identification scheme,the pseudo-patriotically named `Australia Card', would have gone beyond being a mere identification scheme, and would have established the most powerfullocation system in Australia.
• Roger Clarke, "Just Another Piece of Plastic for your Wallet: The 'Australia Card' Scheme" Prometheus 5,1 (June 1987); Republished in Computers & Society 18,1 (January 1988), together with an important Addendum, published in Computers & Society 18,3 (July 1988) [Search]
  During 1985-86 the Federal Government developed a proposal for a national identification scheme. This paper outlines the proposal, and comments on its technical features, its economics, and its implications.
• Roger Clarke, "The Resistible Rise of the National Personal Data System" (January 1992) Software Law Journal 5,1, [Search]
  This paper outlines the history of attempts to establish a national personal data system in Australia, with particular reference to the Australia Card proposal and the enhanced Tax File Number scheme.
• Roger Clarke, "The Tax File Number Scheme: Case Study of Political Assurances and Function Creep" Policy, 1991 [Search]
  Documents the numerous ways in which promises about the limited use which would be made of the Tax File Number were broken. New variation on the old themes of `how far can you trust politicians' and `its the thin end of the wedge'.
• Roger Clarke, 'The sad tale of the parallel data-matching program' [1994] PLPR 4
  Clarke claims DSS had the scheme approved by Cabinet and Parliament on the basis of exaggerated and misleading estimates; The actual gains are at best 10% of the estimates ($30M for DSS) and at worst (Clarke's analysis) a net loss. Basically, Clarke argues that other means of enforcement which are less privacy invasive of those not involved in fraud, would give at least as good a result.
• Stopping surveillance: Beyond 'efficiency' and the OECD [Search]
  Article by Graham Greenleaf, 3 PLPR 148, December 1996 Eexplains the `efficiency criterion', and takes Rule's approach as the starting point for a critical analysis of development's in international privacy regulation since the 1970s, including the OECD privacy Guidelines, the Canadian Standards Association's Model Code and the EU privacy Directive (all of which are discussed later), and the Australian Privacy Charter