They have a big poster up at work listing all the various acceptable forms of ID that can be as proof of age to purchase alcohol, and one of them is the Keypass, from Victoria.
The thing is, in all the years I’ve been living in Australia I’ve only ever seen one Keypass being used by someone as ID, and after a quick Google search it would appear that the Keypass is just a standard proof of age card issued by a private company instead of the Government, and legally recognised as acceptable proof of age in most places in Australia.
So: Why does this thing even exist? As near as I can tell the Victorian Government issues a Proof of Age ID, which makes you wonder why anyone would bother with a “competing” Proof of Age ID. Does it have some special ability or benefit that a Government-issued ID doesn’t?
It just seems odd that, until recently, an obscure ID card issued by a private company in a different State was acceptable ID to buy alcohol in QLD, but a Photo Driver’s Licence from New Zealand (or any other civilised country) wasn’t.
Strange. I’d never heard of this thing. So I did some internet sleuthing too.
The name “Keypass” is registered in VIC only. Want to register the name in queensland?
The business is run by one Bryan Wheeler, who also seems to own the Commonwealth key and property registry, another quasi-official service. Though this is neither here nor there.
This here is all the Victorian Hansard debates for keycard. It appears to have been around since at least 1998 (first Hansard reference to Key Pass (sic) is from that time.
Why does it exist at all? Hansard includes debates about how easy it is to forge Victorian issue learners permits. Perhaps this card was endorsed by the AHA because it was a better ID than any the state could issue at the time?
I got one back in the early 2000’s, because it was the only valid form of ID you could use if you didn’t have either a full driver’s license, or a passport.
Today, I believe a learner’s driving permit (partial driver’s license) is now considered valid ID.
But, if you don’t drive, and you don’t have a passport, you’ll need a Keypass if you want ID.
According to the Official ID information I’ve been given, there is a Victorian Government Proof of Age card now as well, rendering the Keypass completely moot- they was why I was wondering how come it was still around.
In regards to the Proof of Age card… from memory there was a bit of a waiting period to get one of these, and I believe I opted for Keypass because you could get it same-day… and I needed one quickly at the time.
Inertia.
Once something is created, it tends to take either time or direct action to remove it. Since Victoria did not change the rules and eliminate the Keypass as valid ID, it has tended to remain in circulation.
If Bryan Wheeler has persuaded various corporations or smaller government units (schools?) to employ the Keypass for other uses, it will be around for a while. If its use falls to the point where he no longer makes money, he will stop producing it.
You’ve said yourself that you have only rarely seen it used.
