Eye scans to fight fraud

By Keith Moor 11Jun02

LAW enforcers are lobbying for finger and eye scans to be compulsory for every Australian in an effort to stamp out identity fraud.

Federal Attorney-General Daryl Williams confirmed developing new ways to tackle the nation's $4 billion-a-year identity fraud crisis was a priority for the Government.

"Work to address identity fraud is being undertaken in many agencies in the Commonwealth," Mr Williams said. "The Government is looking to co-ordinate this work and make it more cohesive from a whole-of-government perspective."

Identity fraud experts from various agencies are convinced the problem is bad enough to warrant the introduction of a radical system.

The plan increasingly being talked about in law enforcement and government agencies involves establishing a secure database of unique identifiers.

Anybody making a financial transaction would be required to first submit to an iris, retina or finger scan.

This scan would be checked instantly against a government national database.

People seeking welfare payments -- or applying for documents such as passports or driving licences -- would be run through the computer to prove their identity.

A growing number of identity-fraud experts in government, private and law enforcement agencies have expressed support for the futuristic system. They believe a new way of identifying people should be debated and introduced as quickly as possible to capitalise on an apparent willingness by society to accept greater security in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Although politically risky -- due to the same privacy concerns which scuttled the Australia Card proposal in 1985 -- agency experts argue that a unique identifier system is needed. They argue that traditional documents such as passports and driving licences are too easily forged or obtained in false names.

Officials are reluctant to publicly advocate the finger or eye scanning system in case they are accused of a push for more powers at the expense of privacy. But they want discussion about radical ways to counter identity fraud to feature on the political agenda this year.

The Federal Government is unlikely to agree to compulsory finger or eye scans for all, but there are strong signs that a tougher identity system is on the cards:

* A Federal Government taskforce has recommended considering a new system to verify identities on-line.

* Those publicly or privately advocating a national identification program to counter identity fraud include experts from the Australian Federal Police, the National Crime Authority, Victoria police and head of the Attorney-General's Department.

* A Federal Government proof-of-identity steering committee is examining how best to reduce identity fraud by using biometrics -- including digital fingerprint and iris scan technology -- to uniquely identify individuals.

* Former justice minister Amanda Vanstone made a submission to the NCA parliamentary committee in November 2000 which suggested that new ways of verifying identity could be introduced within five years.

* The Vanstone submission -- prepared by the Federal Attorney-General's Department in consultation with federal police and the NCA -- predicted this would involve increased use of electronic identifiers, DNA and finger or eye scans.

Former Victorian fraud squad detective Shane Ringin, who examined worldwide systems on a Churchill Fellowship, said an eye or fingerprint scanning system would not happen overnight.

"But I know a growing number of agencies in Australia have researched what can be done to counter ID fraud and (they have) come to the conclusion we need such a system," Mr Ringin said.

Courier-Mail