Federal government faces struggle for Senate numbers to widen its program for quarantining income in Northern Territory
The government faces an uphill battle in winning independent senator Jacqui Lambie’s vote to expand its cashless debit-card program across the Northern Territory.
Labor and Greens senators on a committee reviewing the government’s latest expansion plan of the income management program have rejected the legislation, arguing there was no verifiable, independent evidence the scheme was beneficial and had the potential to push back Closing the Gap targets.
The government is pushing ahead with its plan despite the concerns, although it remains short of the necessary numbers to have the plan pass the Senate.
After visiting most trial sites – most recently Ceduna three times, with visits to the Western Australia sites planned for January – Lambie remains unconvinced the necessary supporting infrastructure has been put in place.
A spokeswoman for the senator said that while she remained “broadly supportive” of the cashless debit-card program, she “is concerned that the promised services, including rehabilitation and vocational training centres, are simply not there”.
Without those services, the spokeswoman said, “she absolutely does not support a nationwide roll out”.
Lambie’s unmoving position shows the government has an uphill battle
to rolling out its “compassionate conservatism” program, which also
includes drug testing of job-seeking welfare recipients.Labor and Greens senators on a committee reviewing the government’s latest expansion plan of the income management program have rejected the legislation, arguing there was no verifiable, independent evidence the scheme was beneficial and had the potential to push back Closing the Gap targets.
The government is pushing ahead with its plan despite the concerns, although it remains short of the necessary numbers to have the plan pass the Senate.
After visiting most trial sites – most recently Ceduna three times, with visits to the Western Australia sites planned for January – Lambie remains unconvinced the necessary supporting infrastructure has been put in place.
A spokeswoman for the senator said that while she remained “broadly supportive” of the cashless debit-card program, she “is concerned that the promised services, including rehabilitation and vocational training centres, are simply not there”.
Without those services, the spokeswoman said, “she absolutely does not support a nationwide roll out”.
Both measures have split the parliament, leaving the crossbench to make the ultimate decision.
Under the cashless debit-card scheme, which came into effect in 2016, up to 80% of income is quarantined in a special bank card that can be used only at certain vendors, and cannot be used to buy alcohol or gamble, although loopholes have allowed this to happen in some cases.
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