Human rights report on cashless welfare card

The Greens are about the only ones with any backbone it seems, to stand up to the Lieberal gov and tell them straight out the "healthy" welfare card is fucked.

They recently pointed to a report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights about the cashless welfare card, the trials of which have been approved in remote communities by both the Lieberals and Labor, the legislation passing through the senate without changes. In these trials a massive 80% of welfare will go on a card that can only be used for specific purchases deemed OK by the gov of the day.

Firstly, Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association executive officer Sam Biondo, has questioned the simplicity of a welfare card such as this to address complex individual social issues. He says some people will end up engaging in a black market to get alcohol and drugs, potentially harming themselves more by experimenting with different substances that they have access to. For example, petrol sniffing has been a problem in the past in some of these remote communities. Or sniffing glue perhaps? Paint?

“While the intention may be an honourable one by government, often it’s a one-dimensional approach, and the way we deal with people’s complex problems can’t can be dealt with by introducing a simplistic measure such as this one,” Mr Biondo said.

“If it’s an attempt to restrict access to drugs and alcohol, you may see people’s behaviour change to then find alternative ways to gain the money to deal with their substance issue.

“It may work for some people who have less severe problems and won’t impact them much, but for some with more severe problems, I don’t know exactly what the displacement result will be, but people will look for alternative ways, alternative substances and potentially more dangerous things that can satisfy them.” more

The report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights goes much further in it's condemnation of the card, saying it's a breach of privacy in one's life and taking away one's autonomy, calling it "income management on steroids".

Restricting how a person can access, and where they can spend, their social security benefits, interferes with the person's right to personal autonomy and therefore their right to a private life.
In addition, being able to only access 20 per cent of welfare payments in cash could have serious restrictions on what a person is able to do in their private life.

“The report also echoes our concerns around the practicality of restricting 80% of income support to a debit card. People seeking income support deserve autonomy and should not be restricted when wanting to spend money at markets, on public transport, second hand goods, and at stores that have a minimum purchase requirement”, said Senator Siewert

“The Committee points out that for those on the single rate of Newstart, the healthy welfare card would mean just over $50 a week in cash. This is punishing people desperately seeking employment and single mothers. Those living with disability on the Disability Support Pension while able to access a little more cash (due to higher Pension rates) will also suffer the same hardships.

“What happens when someone only has $15 in their bank account and there is a higher limit on the EFTPOS facility they have been forced to use?

“This measure represents an unfair level of Government intervention into social security payments and unfairly targets those struggling to get by. It is income management on steroids – another similar measure that we know has failed in its objectives. Greens - Western Australia   

There's also no mention from the gov of how much this costs to run. It must be enormously expensive for the gov to run all this extra bureaucracy. Indeed the article above from the Greens mentions the failure of the trials in the Northern Territory which turned into a very expensive failure.

The Australian Greens said today that the Government has no choice other than to abandon plans for a healthy welfare card, with a key income management evaluation showing the scheme has been a comprehensive and expensive failure. 

"The Government has at last released the Evaluation of New Income Management in the Northern Territory final report, which as expected shows that this wasteful and expensive regime has failed to deliver on its objectives," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues said today. 

"It is obvious why the Government held onto this report for more than two months and ignored my Order for Production of Documents motion in the Senate. The report shows that income management does not deliver on key objectives and in fact entrenches dependence on income support. 

"Rather than being a justification for a healthy welfare card, this report shows that the government's commitment to such a flawed approach is driven by nothing more than ideology. WA Greens