I recall from over a decade ago that the biggest cost in issuing an ASIC was with its printing. Is this still the case today? Technology has moved on in leaps and bounds in the id-card printing business which should reduce this cost to just a few cents per ASIC. If the printing cost is still the predominant cost with issuing an ASIC after more than a decade then this has to be some kind of rort funding someone else's lavish lifestyle.
Perhaps we can have a royal commission into the cost of issuing an ASIC.