Hello I’m Russell Broadbent, Member for Monash.
Last week Labor tabled its new Digital Identity Bill.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not buying the government’s PR spin that a digital identity is going to make my life easier and simpler – in fact, I think it has the potential to do quite the opposite.
This new bill was tabled at the end of the sitting year and right before the Christmas break. One might think the timing is an attempt to bypass important discussion before the end of the year.
This Bill, if passed, will bring yet another layer of bureaucracy and control to the Australian people, and a further erosion of our precious freedoms.
Imagine a future where you can’t access Medicare, social services, or even your own bank account without a Digital ID.
Just like the government’s Misinformation and Disinformation Bill, this Digital Identity Bill promises to strip away the hard-won freedoms of the Australian people.
We’re told that Digital ID will not be ‘compulsory’. But I ask, is that in the same way that the Covid jabs weren’t ‘compulsory’?
Tell that to the people who couldn’t earn a living without being vaccinate, or the 30 Victorian firefighters who are still unable to work due to ludicrous ongoing mandates.
We’re told that a digital identity will be a way to keep Australians ‘safe’ online. Yet we’ve all heard about recent data breaches that have affected millions of people.
Australians must reject Digital ID if they want to protect their freedoms.
I urge you to write to your local Member of Parliament and let them know your views.
Public submissions are open until the *19th of January 2024 - so make sure you have your say while you still can!
And that’s justice as I see it.