Who would have thought that the Member for Wentworth is a science fiction fan? Malcolm Turnbull’s idea for a lifetime email address bears a remarkable similarity to the identity system Arthur C Clarke invented in the final volume of his classic saga 3001: The Final Odyssey:

WALLACE, INDRA [F2970.03.11:31.855//HIST.OXFORD]

‘I
suppose it means Female. Date of birth 11 March 2970 – and that you’re
associated with the Department of History at Oxford. And I guess that
31.885 is a personal identification number. Correct?’

‘Excellent,
Mr Poole. I’ve seen some of your email addresses and credit card
numbers – hideous strings of alpha-numeric gibberish that no one could
possibly remember. But we all know our date of birth, and not more than
99,999 other people will share it. So a five figure number is all
you’ll ever need.’

Open the pod bay doors, Mal, and let the debate begin. Great idea – or defacto ID card?