The idea for the card was raised at the national Tax Summit in 1985 convened by the then Federal Labor government led by Bob Hawke.
[2] In response, Hawke asked the Governor-General Sir Ninian Stephen for a double dissolution, which was granted on 5 June 1987, followed by an election on 11 July.
Stone then told his Opposition colleagues, who were able to embarrass the government on 23 September by asking questions in Parliament that revealed they were not aware of this technicality.
It may well have been a convenient face-saving way out of the situation, because by that time very significant popular opposition had arisen from widely disparate groups, although the Australia Card had not figured particularly prominently in the election campaign.
Following the London Bombings of 2005, then-Prime Minister John Howard said the Australia Card would help the government combat terrorism and address flaws in the immigration system.
Technology demands for online identification continue to put pressure on the Federal Government to provide a national identity system.
[8] However, the Inquiry cited the Australia Card history as continuing to provide a barrier to this development: "Many Australians may object to this option on the basis of privacy concerns.