Senator Roberts has rightly outlined the serious concerns with privacy in the Identity Verification Services Bill 2023 that were similarly outlined to the Senate committee on this bill. Digital rights campaigners are aghast at the government, which is proceeding with this massive expansion of a surveillance state without introducing related reforms to the Privacy Act that would protect people’s data when it’s centralised with a government that will be unaccountable now because of these changes.
Nothing demonstrates more why we should oppose this bill tonight than that the government has allotted the sum total of 30 minutes for debate. One of the most significant pieces of legislation to come before our parliament this year, massively expanding the amount of power and surveillance the state has over Australian citizens and individuals, has been given the sum total of 30 minutes for debate. I will not get to make the normal 15-minute contribution here because I rose with just one minute left on the clock. The government is trying to gag any opposition to this bill because it cannot defend why it needs to collect so much data on law-abiding Australian citizens in this country.
