The already high-tech Australian passport - which features facial recognition technology since 2005 - would be brought to another higher level in the future with the inclusion of voice recognition and eye scanning technologies.

The new specs are contained in a request for tenders made public on Monday by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as it sought a new biometrics advisory panel to replace the current body whose term ends in March 2014.

Documents said bidders should be experts in facial, fingerprint, iris of voice biometrics or signature reading technologies. They should have the capacity to provide equipment like fingerprint scanners, iris scanners and voice acquisition gadgets.

The department had actually introduced as early as 1999 the current facial recognition system to cut identity fraud by digitizing the photo supplied by the passport applicant and storing one copy in a computer chip in the passport and another one in a passport database.

By using biometric technology, the images can then be digitally compared to ensure the image of the person on the passport and the database belong to the same person and prevent people from applying for travel documents using another person's name.

It takes 10 days to process an Australian passport application, and another two days to be delivered to the applicant.

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