Cashless Welfare Card

[moonflyte]

Could this be the end of the tragedy of alcohol fueled violence and child neglect.

A cashless welfare card aimed at stemming alcohol abuse would be rolled out across the country under a welfare reform the Turnbull government is considering taking to the election.

As regional trouble spots line up to be chosen for trials of the government’s new Healthy Welfare Card to begin next month, The Australian understands the Coalition may seek an election mandate to extend the card to welfare recipients across regional Australia if they achieve positive results.

Under the new system — proposed by mining magnate ­Andrew Forrest in his review of the welfare system in 2014 — 80 per cent of a person’s government payment would be ­quarantined to a bank card that could not be used to buy alcohol and gambling products, nor ­converted to cash.

The remaining 20 per cent could be accessible as cash.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/national-cashless-welfare-card-plan-by-turnbull-gov...

[myoclon1cjerk]

It's got nothing to do with concern over the welfare of others,esayef.It's all about control.

[esayaf]

Yes, I already know that myoclon.
I am control adverse. That's one of the reasons I'm not married or live with anyone. I chose to do what I want. Don't think that I endorse everyone doing what they want, I have morals and many don't.
I abhor the current trend of anyone thinking that they have the right to shove their opinions on everything down anyone else's throats.
I have tried to explain the consequences of this card to those that quite obviously have no experience of living on a benefit. Some will think I was shoving my opinion down their throat. Can't change how people think but before you think gain some knowledge

[esayaf]

Technology is going to eliminate 80% of jobs in the next ten to twenty years so a lot of people will have to reassess their opinions on the unemployed, especially once they become one

[esayaf]

Edit; control averse. Blooming spell check

[chameleon54]

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@esayaf wrote:
It's always the way that those that won't be affected by something are the biggest advocates of it.
As someone said earlier give the politicians the card too because they also live off the taxpayer.
The Liberal party has made it an election policy so we'll have to wait and see what happens and if this card interferes with my ability to pay my mortgage due to a lack of thoughtful consideration for the circumstances of each individual I for one won't lose my house without doing something that will change me from costing the government $12000 a year to being housed and fed at $150000 a year.
Why should I struggle and stress all the time when no one appreciates it and I'm constantly harangued for being a bludger.

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WRONG AGAIN SORRY..... You must have missed the bit where I mentioned my wife is blind and recieves a part pension and pensioner concession card. We also have a disabled parking pass as she needs to get a guide dog in and out of the car and needs assistance without it. As my wifes primary carer I am noted on her pensioner concession card and use this at the chemists to recieve a discount for the medications I use. I,m one of the people Super plays " spot the pensioner " with in the line at the chemist.

My wife doesnt sit around the house grizzling and feeling sorry for her self. As mentioned she is a talented musician and travels to the city by herself on the bus. Once there she plays music at major venues to several hundred intellectualy disabled people for regular dance sessions they have. I also play music and volunteer in this way from time to time. The wife is a member of a voluntary advisory committee to the local city council as a disability adviser . She assists works managers on planning infrastructure to make it as disability friendly as practicle and finds this very rewarding.

Another volunteer role she serves is as a " guinie pig " and mentor to other blind people on the use of new technology. She works with our sate disability service providers to trial new technology and works with the developers to make it user friendly.

She has also served for many years on committees at our local school and is involved as a the team manager and co-ordinator at the junior premier legue netball team that we coach. In her spare time she goes to the local gym four times a week, often walking the 3 km. home with her guide dog.

All of this keeps her fairly busy and as she is unable to drive or shop or get around in unfamiliar enviroments without assistance it means that I have had to take on many of the home and family duties mums normally perform. I do the shopping, help clean the house and run the kids around to all of their sports and social functions. Doing all of this while also trying to earn a living in the " normal traditional " male role is challenging and often very stressful.

It is no secret here that my teenage son has serious mental health problems. He has had to leave school early and has managed to find part time employment at his local KFC. Although he has genuine issues, he has managed to maintain and actually flourish in the job and although only earning around $250 a week is paying his own little bit of tax and supporting himself. The specialists who have cared for him over the last few years are amazed that he has managed to maintain his job, but we all know it is quite possible he may need to go on a disability pension in time as well. His condition means he is highly susceptable to impulse behavior and addictions. He has tried drugs and many of his friends have drug addiction problems. We have struck a deal with him. He is underage, so I buy him cigerettes on the condition he stays away from drug use. I ILLEGALY BUY MY SON THINGS THAT MAY WELL GIVE HIM CANCER. We ration him to 5 ciggies a day and he has kept his part of the deal regards drugs.

I have a serious back injury ( three discs gone completely ) and the specialists reccommended when this occured twenty years ago that I should give up work as it would be too painfull to continue. I chose to continue to work and yes at times I would cry out from the pain and occasionaly have uncontrolled muscle fits. It is not always easy, but I still manage to provide for my family, but are not sure how long this will continue. I am self employed as to be frank, I wouldnt expect any boss to have me with my condition. There will come a time when my working life will be cut short and I will also have no choice but accept the disability pension that has been offered to me.

 There...... I have spelled out my own personal circumstances - .....SO PLEASE DONT TELL ME I,M NOT ONE OF THOSE AFFECTED AND HAVE NO IDEA  !!!!

[esayaf]

Was my comment addressed specifically at you. No. For your information I did read and comprehended what you wrote earlier including your specific situation but you can continue to assume that you are the only one here I'm referring to if you want. I wouldn't want to impinge on your view of self importance

[esayaf]

Especially when it interferes with my view of my self importance

[chameleon54]

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@esayaf wrote:
Especially when it interferes with my view of my self importance

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I,ll pay you that one ....     Esayaf -  You have addressed ALL of your responses to the OP. If you want to respond to a specific post or poster, you can click on the blue " reply " button at the bottom of the relevent post. You will be taken to a page to type your response and can click  " Quote " and highlight sections of the post you wish to respond too. This makes it much easier for others to follow what you are trying to say and prevents confusion as to who you are responding too. 

[esayaf]

I'm using a smart phone which has a box at the bottom of the last comment. I just write in there

[johcaschro]

This comment is probably not relevant to the discussion but I want to make this one point:

A poster above said that they went for a month using no cash for purchases, but only using a credit card.

Well, for that month all of your purchasing history can be accessed and scrutinised. and all of your movements as well.

I don't really want that everything I buy and my movements around the locations where I make my purchases are accessible to third parties be it the govt or the people who want to phone me at home making me offers I have to refuse while leaving my dinner on the table getting cold.

Cash is anonymous and provides a degree of privacy which credit card purchases do not.

Paying with cash is faster. Try standing in a queue behind someone paying with a card which is maxxed out or faulty or they have forgotten the pin number. just that whole process of using a card takes more time.

and it leaves behind an electronic and retrievable record of your activity.

I'm still undecided about whether the recipients of welfare should have part of their payment quarantined. I think I don't want them to spend the money on booze and smokes and drugs when they should be spending it on food for their kids.

I have recently read about a scheme which suggests that every citizen should be paid a Basic Income to replace social security welfare payments (no requirement to seek employment) just pay the money and save the administration costs. Apparently it's more cost-effective.

Is this similar to when ancient Rome provided  bread (grain) as a dole for the citizens and free circuses to distract them from their plight?

Anyway . . . .  one of the very best methods of social control is to do away with cash as a medium of exchange.

Your purchases and your movements can be tracked and your ability to buy food and drink and shelter can be removed from you with only a few key-strokes on some govt-owned keyboard (in a worst case scenario).

think about that every time you swipe that card and are asked "do you want cash out?"