Smart Card A Bad Deal For Transgender People
Transgender Victoria believes the proposed Smart card legislation needs to hit the shredder due to yet another shortcoming – lack of protection from discrimination for transgender people.
“The anomalies in the legislation are bad enough for all Australians,” stated media spokesperson Sally Goldner. “However, without federal anti-discrimination law protecting the attribute of gender identity, transgender people will face greater difficulty obtaining Centrelink benefits. It is sadly ironic that these benefits are often necessary due to discrimination faced in obtaining employment in the first place.”
“Further, as differences exist in the criteria for sex and gender classification for Medicare and Centrelink, how will Federal authorities be able to issue one card for both bodies?”
“It is bad enough that another area of Federal law, the issuing of passports, vilifies transgender people as ‘undesirable persons.’ The proposed Smart card only piles insult on insult. Federal government policy seems intent on making obtaining appropriate documentation for transgender people as difficult as possible.”
“Further, the Federal government, as one of the nation’s biggest single employers owes a duty of care not only to the transgender people it employs, but to all Australians to introduce appropriate federal anti-discrimination law. Lack of clear law in Victoria prior to 2000 resulted in a transgender person suing their employer – does the Federal government want to take the same risk?”
“Without federal anti-discrimination law protecting the gender identity attribute – the forgotten issue of Federal GLBT law reform – the Smart card remains a deal from the bottom of the pack.”
For more information contact Sally Goldner on 0407 946 242.
See also Passport regulations
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/LegislativeInstrument1.nsf/framelodgmentattachments/5681A7871644AF20CA25702200251B7F section 6.3
ID Card Bill concerns
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UNSWLRS/2007/11.html
