Australian opposition attacks biometric immigration bill

Members of Australia's opposition Labor party have noted “major concerns” about a government bill that will increase the powers of the immigration department to collect biometrics at major entry points.In a report released this week, the Labor members of the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs recommended that a Privacy Impact Assessment conducted in relation to the bill is released publicly prior to the senate's consideration of the bill.Australia's minister for Immigration and Border Protection introduced the bill in March, saying it expands biometric data gathering at borders to tackle the threat of Australians seeking to travel overseas to fight with terrorist organisations like Islamic State.The Migration Amendment (Strengthening Biometrics Integrity) Bill 2015 will create a simplified scheme to collect biometrics, particularly fingerprints, and include increased collection powers. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said last August that biometric screening will be introduced at airports within 12 months, with a further 80 officers will be stationed at other major airports to monitor the movements of people on Australia's national security watch lists.However, a dissenting report argued that the bill lacks genuine independent oversight, and that the retention of and arbitrary collection of biometric information raises concerns from collection, and then subsequent use and retention.The senators want a thorough review by the Privacy Commissioner, prior to passage of the bill, as to whether the current obligations to store biometric data securely are sufficient or whether increased security for the dataset is required.In particular, they pointed to concerns over how the collection and retention of data could specifically be harmful to a child.

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