Australian ID card

The Howard government is introducing a non compulsory id card apparently for national security reasons - non compulsory, that is, unless you're poor or sick because you will have to get one if you want to access your health benefits or welfare payments. I mean, after all, we don't want THAT scum running around untabbed, do we!

Anyone else feel ghettoe-ised?

This may be because this news here is pretty egocentric, but when has Australia ever had issues with national security?

Exactly.

Umm news to me, it is still being discussed and the whole national ID card is trotted out whenever the Howard government wants to divert attention from bad publicity... namely the industrial relations "work choices" package / the whole AWB WheatGate scandal...

I don't see how the national ID card will help prevent terrorism as far I am concerned it is as useful as those bloody fridge magnets in that regard.

adn having a single card for multiple uses (medicare, social security etc) jsut makes it that much easier for identity theft to occur.

Yeah I love how basically Howard said "Oh no it's not compulsory but you know, if you want to live on Earth you really do need one".


Because Australians are waaay too dumb to see through his spurious rhetoric.

You should never underestimate the retardedness of the Australian voting public. I did market research for one of the major parties and it confirmed all my worst fears about the people voting for our leaders.

print more money....

You're right and that is so scary. I wish it weren't the case but it must be true that many people actually do buy all the crap Howard spouts because otherwise he wouldn't still be in power. That and the fact that we have no alternative worth considering right now. This country is going to the dogs.

I have a South African friend who thinks Aussies are a bunch of whiners because we are always complaining about our government etc. He thinks we have it really good by comparison and he's right, we do have it really good but I argue with him that the "whining" is about keeping things that way and preventing changes that aren't for the better. Frankly I don't think Aussies are complaining enough about the crap that is being forced on them at the moment. (Being involved in Iraq, the ID card, the workplace reforms etc)

What sort of things did you discover? I'd be really interested to know more about your research.

I agree that people aren't angry enough about all the Howard government is doing with its Senate majority. It's appalling. The IR reforms especially will do irreversible damage to the economic and social equality of Australia (it's only irreversible because the Labor party will never, ever reverse it).

The market research involved calling heaps and heaps of punters in marginal seats and asking them about every issue under the sun. After the Cronulla riots, for example, I asked something like 'what, in your opinion, should the Morris Iemma state government do to prevent a recurrence of this anti-social behaviour?' Over two nights, I polled 20 people, and two of them suggested education reform, increased tolerance, cultural programs, etc. Fifteen or so suggested compulsory deportion for Lebanese kids with extensive criminal records - a fair few of them going as far as suggesting the families of those Lebanese kids should be deported as well. Two punters (one in Enmore, the other in Marrickville, both traditional working-class, tolerant suburbs) suggested that any Lebanese people involved in anti-social behaviour should be shot on sight. (One of them said 'if you hit a few others, fuck 'em. That's their fault for being there').

I polled one middle-aged woman who didn't know who John Howard was, but said she voted Liberal because her dad did. Probably 99% of people said the top priority for state governments should be either health or education, but most people opposed going into budget deficit to fund said infrastructure.

People are bonkers.

On the up side at least my best friend who emigrated will now stop laughing at my misfortune to be living in a police state.

I can't understand the whole.. arrghh we can't go into debt ... debt is a normal part of everyday life.... it is no different be it an indivdual or a government .. as long as you are responsible about your borrowing who gives a frack.

wow. Education is always the solution, to almost everything.

ha ha, when I turned 18 I voted for Labour because my dad voted Liberal! I didn't know anything about politics at the time, I was just very rebellious.

I love you (in the internet sense )!

aww I love you too