Shanks Katrina: Social Security (Entitlement Cards) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Shanks Katrina: Social Security (Entitlement Cards) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:639;Page:9167] 
KATRINA SHANKS (National) 
: 
 I rise to speak to the Social Security (Entitlement Cards) Amendment Bill. The SuperGold card will be a concession discount card for New Zealand residents who are aged 65 years and older. The intention of this card is to provide commercial discounts to cardholders from participating businesses and to facilitate seniors’ access to concessions on central government and local authority services. 
The bill amends section 132A of the Social Security Act 1964 to allow regulations to be made for the provision of a photograph on the proposed SuperGold card and to allow the Ministry of Social Development to obtain information from the Registrar-General of Births Deaths and Marriages to verify applicants’ eligibility for the card. This card will be distributed to approximately 540000 senior citizens. These citizens then have the option of putting a photo on their card unlike many other cards. This card will replace all the other cards they have in terms of being a senior citizen. 
The second purpose of the bill is that microchips can be embedded in the entitlement card. Clause 5(2) amends section 132A(2) of the Social Security Act 1964 to create a new regulation to allow entitlement cards to contain a microchip holding the same information that may currently be stored using a magnetic strip. I wonder how many senior citizens will be happy to know that the Government will record on a database every shop they have been to every retailer they have been to and every purchase they have made. Initially the microchips will not be placed in the cards; however the cards that are issued can be recalled at any time and be replaced at the whim of the Government. Certainly I do not think the senior citizens will have the choice whether they have a microchipped card; they will just be told. As all their other cards will have been retracted they will actually have no choice left as to which card they do take. 
Submissions received by the Social Services Committee raised serious concerns about the use of microchips in the entitlement cards on such a large scale. They recommended a review of the principles governing the use of such technology. The Law Society made a submission on the entitlement cards and stated that the prospect of microchips being embedded in cards issued by the Government raised a more general concern due to the functionality that microchips can possess including their ability to operate as radio frequency ID cards. The society recommended that the committee call for a general review of the principles governing the use of highly functional technology on Government-issued cards generally and that the matter be referred to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Strong views were voiced in the select committee that a more general inquiry particularly around the use of microchips is necessary before legislation allowing microchips is enacted. 
National does not support the microchipping of cards for senior citizens and we believe that the senior citizens of New Zealand deserve much better than the SuperGold card in the way it stands which does not enhance the lives of senior citizens one bit. If senior citizens had known at the beginning what Winston was going to say about the SuperGold card I am sure he would not have the support he has now.