Anthony Albanese has said Labor would scrap the “privatised” Indue-operated cashless debit card if it wins the next federal election, though smaller welfare income management programs requested by a local community could continue. “We think there’s a role if communities are requesting a government-run system in terms of cashless welfare,” Albanese said. “If a person or community genuinely wants to volunteer for income management, or if it is a targeted response to child protection or domestic violence, then income management can have a place,” she said. “For a card that’s meant to help people, it’s done nothing but make life harder,” Ceduna cashless debit card holder Craig Chalone told the Guardian in January. This year’s budget included $30m for employment programs for the more than 10,000 people on the cashless debit card.

Source: The Guardian May 22, 2021 19:52 UTC