Why does Queensland need new licences, authorities and proof of age cards?
The laminated licence has become increasingly vulnerable to tampering and fraud and needs to be replaced with more secure technology. Relatively unsophisticated equipment can create fake licences, and these licences may be used to commit a wide range of crimes such as identity theft, identity fraud, creating false identities, money laundering, purchasing age-restricted products and driving illegally. Identity fraud is one of Australia’s fastest growing crimes and the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Personal Fraud Survey (June 2008) showed there were 806,000 victims of personal fraud in Australia in 12 months, costing individuals a combined A$977 million. This included 124,000 victims of identity fraud. The department has an opportunity to introduce new cards that adopt global technology to strengthen the integrity of our licensing system. The new cards will offer cardholders a product that is more secure, reliable and durable than the current laminated products or plastic mag
