Australia's Senate has passed legislation that would strengthen and expand the government's biometric collection system at borders.The bill passed this week without a vote, but will have to go back to the House of Representatives for final approval.Introduced in March, the bill seeks to expand biometric data gathering at borders to tackle threats such as Australians seeking to travel overseas to fight with terrorist organisations like Islamic State. Officials said at the time that the bill aimed to create a simplified scheme to collect biometrics, particularly fingerprints, and to increase collection powers.Proponents say it will allow the government to identify minors flagged by other countries as involved in terrorist activity or serious crime, and better detect children who have been abducted or smuggled.In June, Labor members of the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs called for changes to the bill, recommending that a Privacy Impact Assessment be undertaken before a Senate vote.The senators wrote that Labor holds “specific concerns around the lack of safeguards for minors and 'incapable' persons in the legislation”, the potential indefinite retention of biometric data, and a lack of regulatory powers on the part of the Privacy Commissioner.”Whilst Labor Senators note that the Committee majority recommends that a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) be undertaken and made publically available before passage of the bill, we believe that the concerns of the Committee are best addressed as amendments to the legislation,” the senators argued.The Biometrics Institute has also said in reference to the bill that governments must take extra care when using children's biometrics for border protection and other purposes.In one government amendment, Assistant Immigration Minister Michaelia Cash amended the legislation to explicitly prevent biometrics data being taken from a person in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way.

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