qld to introduce new smart card

Australian State Plans A Smart Card Driver’s License

After five years of study, the Australian state of Queensland has decided to replace its 2.5 million driver’s licenses with a smart card. The government wants private companies to build and manage the system to minimize the cost to the taxpayers, and has asked that bids be submitted by October 2. Government officials say the smart card will be harder to counterfeit than the current laminated license. They say this will be the first smart card-based driver’s license in Australia. While the system will be managed by private companies, the state will retain the database of personal information and photographs of motorists to avoid unauthorized use of that data. (2006-09-07)