The Australian Senate has passed a bill implementing a “national economy-wide Digital ID system” to track the financial records of its citizens. The Digital ID verifies a citizen’s identity on the internet connected to their birth certificate, driver’s licence, and passport — much like China’s WeChat system, which has been tested in several regions as a social credit system. The bill was passed in the Senate on Wednesday, after an inquiry conducted by the Senate Economics Legislation Committee in February, which recommended the bill be passed. Next, the legislation will be introduced to the House of Representatives for approval. Over a third of Australians, more than 10.5 million of the 26 million population, have already signed up for an account with the Federal Government’s Digital ID system, myGovID, to access more than 130 government services, a press release from Minister for Finance Senator Katy Gallagher states. The legislation, proposed last year and entitled The Digital ID Bill 2023, outlines the “phased expansion of the Australian Government’s Digital ID system to include state and territory government services and the private sector,” the news release states, claiming the bill “strengthens privacy and security safeguards.” It “provides stronger regulation and governance of Digital ID services,” wrote the senator, citing “data breaches” like Optus and Medibank, “have shown how important it is to keep Australian’s safe online.”“Digital ID makes it safer and easier for Australians to prove who they are online,” wrote Gallagher. “Australians will be sharing less personal information, which is held by fewer organizations, that are subject to stronger regulation – reducing the chance of identity theft online. The senator touted the nation’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party for delivering “a scheme which is safe, voluntary and will protect Australians in an increasingly online world.’The Digital ID is not at this stage mandatory, and government agencies must have a way for Australians to access services without it. .Opposition leader Pauline Hanson and her government vehemently oppose the bill, denouncing it as “designed to control the Australian people” as part of a greater global agenda. “Labor and its allies have rushed nine laws through the Senate today with no debate or scrutiny,” wrote Hanson on social media. “One of them has horrifying consequences for our future and our freedom: the digital ID law. This law is designed to control the Australian people.”“This is a secretive international effort to establish a one-world government with no freedom and no capacity for dissent. Let’s never forget how easily Australian governments imposed restrictions on us during the pandemic – we couldn’t go anywhere without a digital vaccination certificate. Our freedom of speech was suppressed by governments and big tech.”.“Digital ID is the first step towards these restrictions being imposed on us permanently. All of your digital data will be owned by governments – you’ll have no physical proof you own anything, including your home.”“We’ve seen how insecure this data always is — there have been nine breaches of Australians’ personal data in March 2024 alone. Your new oppressors will tell you digital ID is in your best interests, that it will make things easier, that it will protect you from bad people. And all it will cost is your freedom and right to privacy. As Klaus Schwab told us: ‘You’ll own nothing and be happy.’ We are sheep being led to slaughter.”
