"Cashless welfare cards"

are back in the news. They were introduced in an effort to stop some people spending the taxpayer funded money they get on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling. 

Now the purpose of the money is to provide those who do not have jobs with money for housing, food and other necessities. It is not a lot of money and there are always calls, louder of late, for it to be increased. The cashless welfare card scheme will soon cease unless there is common sense in the nation's capital - something I rather doubt.

I know someone who works in a remote area. She and her husband have responsibility for a community which, until the introduction of the card, was violent and crime ridden. There was a high incidence of domestic violence. Children were not getting fed, let alone fed properly. School attendance was down. Alcohol consumption was up. 

There are still plenty of problems in the community but the cashless welfare card has helped. It is what the women want. They feel safer. Women and children are better off. School attendance, while still not as good as it could be, has improved.

It is mostly the men in that community who do not want the card to continue. The money for alcohol, cigarettes and gambling has dried up. That is not to their liking. They say the card is "demeaning" - and yes it is. It seems that if something is "demeaning" then it has to be removed. It seems it has to be removed even if it is at the expense of other rights - the rights to safety, shelter and food.

I wonder about this. B.... has told me, "The mothers are feeling desperate. They know what is going to happen. We know too. Why does Senator P.... want to risk undoing the good?"

Senator P... holds the deciding vote. Why he is holding out is a puzzle. He has claimed that the cashless welfare card's efficacy has not been "proven". What sort of proof does he want? Has he talked to all the mothers? I doubt it. Given his background in business he has more likely been listening to those who sell alcohol and cigarettes. They will have been telling him their income is down, that they have been dealing with the theft of such items and more.

This is not a decision about welfare. It is a decision about greed. It should be possible to put a system in place which is not demeaning but until that happens those in greater need should have the first priority. Senator P.... needs to listen to the women and what they are asking for.