Photo I D ?

There is a call for all air travellers to prove their identity by producing a photo I D card prior to gaining a boarding pass.  Strangely, the need seems aimed at the movement of criminals more than as a means of identifying terrorists.

The installation of electronic baggage and passenger check-in facilities at present allow air passengers to move through domestic terminals without any sort of clearance by airport officials - and this has speeded up the clearance process.   The need for a photo I D check will undoubtedly create a new bottleneck - and most people will question it's effectiveness.

It will also raise the suspicion that this is a  back door attempt to come full circle and opt for the creation of an " Australia card " !

It has long been a dream of the tax office, the police forces - state and Federal - and all the government departments that deal with the public that each citizen has a card which clearly identifies them - and without the production of which no transaction can proceed.

We are fairly close to that dream with the demand for photo I D driving licenses as identity checks, but the universal application fails because of those who do not drive - and of course the huge number of children below the driving age.

An " Australia card " would be an ideal method of " people control " and it would go a long way towards making life hard for " illegals " living in our community, but it would also be a restriction on the privacy and civil liberties we hold so dear.

This airport control measure needs a much closer examination - and more detail as to exactly what it hopes to achieve - before it goes any further !