The idea was first floated
in the 1980s to cut down on tax avoidance but was defeated in the
Senate in 1986 after public outrage.
But in recent months business, government and Labor figures have
warmed to the idea to stop fraud and improve national security in
the wake of the growing terrorism threat.
Mr Ruddock told the Australian Finance Review the main issue now
was not whether an ID card should be introduced but what information
it should contain, what legislation was needed and how much it would
cost to implement.
He said government agencies such as the tax office and Centrelink
already held large amounts of personal information.
"The fear that a lot of people have about national identifiers is
really quite misplaced," Mr Ruddock said.
"It is a fear based upon concerns about possible intrusions into
privacy and I am saying that privacy issues are dealt with not by
whether or not you have one identifier.
"They are dealt with by what information you hang off that
identifier and allow others to access.
"I am simply saying that the protection that you give for
information for which there ought to be afforded privacy wouldn't be
opened up by a national ID card - it would be opened up by a fresh
discussion on data exchange." Mr Ruddock said one of the key reasons
for a new system was national security.
"They are important in terms of broader national security
questions: we have to know who it is you are dealing with, who comes
and who goes," he said.
"In terms of the identity issues, we are clearly focused on ways
and means of ensuring that the government is dealing with people,
that we are able to properly establish who they are."
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