Federal Minister for Human Services, Joe Hockey has released an edited version of Volume 1 of the KPMG business case for the proposed national access card. Detailed costings in Volume 2 have not been released. Deletions of parts of the report have been made on various grounds including commercial in confidence and Cabinet in confidence. The section on how the card will help reduce fraud has been deleted on the grounds that disclosure would be a risk to government outlays.
There is a convincing case put forward about the need for change and improvement in government current systems for access to health and social service payments, given the poor quality of data held concerning proof of identity.
KPMG and the Government are convinced that it all makes good business sense. The devil in the detail will become more apparent as the project moves forward.
A continuing concern will be pressures from within government for added functionality and “function creep” – new uses for all the data that will be at hand. The report acknowledges the need for close and careful oversight.
This blog takes an interest in issues associated with Freedom of Information (FOI) and privacy legislation in Australia. Information contained on this site is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Follow Peter Timmins on Twitter: @foiguru Follow the open government cause through the Australian Open Government Partnership Network. www.opengovernment.org.au and @opengovau
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