Michael Forshaw (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I note the minister has referred to one paragraph regarding the report and the aims. I invite him to read the other 92 pages, which were a condemnation of the government’s processes and approach. One of the issues of major concern that were raised was the registration process. Can the minister confirm that the document verification service and online system to link the state births, deaths and marriages registers with the Australian government agencies will not be completed until 2010? Given that delay, isn’t it going to be impossible for the government to do a manual check of every birth and marriage certificate presented by an estimated average 35,000 people applying each day for the access card from April of 2008? Minister, isn’t it a fact that your government has just botched this project?