Kedgley Sue: Social Security (Entitlement Cards) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Kedgley Sue: Social Security (Entitlement Cards) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:639;Page:9164] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 It is very sad that a very positive initiative such as a golden age card for older New Zealanders which has overwhelming support in this Committee is clouded by the use of this wonderful new card to sneak in a new and highly controversial technology. 
Frankly I find very disturbing the sneering and trivialising by the Opposition members and by Russell Fairbrother who is just leaving the Chamber now. I find his trivialising of the concerns around this highly controversial—indeed some would say Orwellian—technology extremely disturbing. I point out to him that the United States and the European Union have backed off from using this technology because they think they need to better investigate its safety and privacy implications. If all of Europe and all of America think it is of such concern that they need to have more time to think about it and to think through its implications why should our Government laugh at trivialise and sneer at the serious implications of this technology? 
I frankly was offended by the trivialising of and sneering at our concerns by members of the Government. If there were to be legislation called “Introduction of Microchipping Bill” I do not believe that it would get through this House. I believe that there would be huge popular concern out there in the community and that the Government would not want to have that. So what is it doing? It is sneaking it in through a card that it knows that people want. It is sneaking it in like a Trojan Horse through the back door through this legislation. I think people are only just beginning to realise that; most people have no idea. Most of the elderly— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: Sorry we have dealt with Part 1. We are on Part 2 dealing with consequential amendments to the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act. 
SUE KEDGLEY 
: I think people are only just beginning to understand the consequences of having this embedded technology in their cards when we have not even looked at the principles governing the use of the technology. All we are asking the Minister is why we do not put this on hold while we look at the principles governing the use of this technology and while we consider the concerns that the Europeans Americans and people around the world have about it. Why do we not just do some wide-ranging investigation rather than through this bill sneaking it into legislation? 
Of course once the technology is in the social security card it sets a precedent. Then it can be used and before we know it microchipping technology will have sneaked into New Zealand without any proper consideration of underlying principles of privacy concerns and of safety concerns. We are just sneaking it in. I think it is very very sad that such a positive initiative as the golden age card is being clouded by what I think is a deliberate attempt to sneak microchipping into the legislation. I remember when we were having the debate around the microchipping of dogs that I said: “Dogs today; humans tomorrow.” Sadly I was right.