"One of the fundamental contrasts between free democratic societies and totalitarian systems is that the totalitarian government relies on secrecy for the regime but high surveillence and disclosure for all other groups, whereas in the civic culture of liberal democracy, the position is approximately the reverse." - Professor Geoffrey de Q Walker (Dean of Law at Queensland University)

But by far the most alarming facet of the proposed scheme is the fact that government is not thinking in terms of using the card itself, but, crucially, in terms of placing biometric scanners at all, or most, points of use. The government is constructing the necessary police state infrastructure prior to the enabling legislation being passed into law, something which can clearly be seen with the example of the Police being equipped with mobile fingerprinting scanners.