The "cashless welfare card"

was brought in to try and help some of  the people who need it most. For those of you in Elsewhere it  is a debit card which allows people to spend their money on the things they need but not things like alcohol or gambling.

It has always been the subject of debate. There are people who believe it has helped to pay the bills and put food on the table. Some say it has reduced alcohol consumption and domestic violence. Others say that those who use it simply find ways around the restrictions and that, because many on it are "indigenous", it is racist. 

There is also a belief it is expensive to administer and demeaning for those who are on it. Those demanding its abolition say there are "better" ways to handle the problems which cause the need for some sort of intervention.

Research has apparently shown that many of those who use it do not want to lose it. The majority are women with children, often children of school going age or younger. Many of them live in remote communities where the price of food is greater than it is in the cities and the price of good food is often out of reach.

If you can get multiple bottles of alcohol for the price of one lettuce  then you are not likely to choose the lettuce. When a can of beer costs less than an apple you will get the beer. It won't matter if your children aren't eating. That alone suggests there is a need for the card.

The new government wants to be rid of it though. They say they are looking into it, that they are listening to the community, and more. In reality they are listening to those whose employment depends on the ongoing problems in the communities where the card is most used.  They want to bring in "education programs" and "counselling" and "other ways" of "dealing with the problems". We are told that these things will "help people help themselves" and "give them dignity" and "provide real independence".

My good friend M... disagrees. He does not want to see the end of the welfare card. As an indigenous man who worked all his life in social welfare he has seen more than his fair share of the need for something like this. He also tells me that many indigenous people have welcomed the card, that it actually gives them greater control over their lives and an increased standard of living.  School attendance has improved too.

"Why does the government want to take that away?" he asks in despair.   

I think I know - and so does he. Taking it away will actually allow increased intervention, interference, and control. 

"We don't need a Voice in parliament Cat," M... told me yesterday when he phoned to get some help for someone, "Those things have been tried. They fail and they fail because people don't listen. The last thing we need is something in the Constitution which causes permanent deafness."