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...

[bella_again]

I actually believe that the card has its place BUT only for those who are struggling with addiction, dysfunction and abuse. Why disempower everyone by forcing them to have the card. It's interesting that the government is only quoting the areas it appears to have made a difference. In actual fact in other areas it led to people bartering for cash, drugs and alcohol so solved nothing.

Disempowering one group of people to solve a problem with the minority is hardly good policy. They really need to address families/individuals  in crisis not roll out an expensive management plan that will make life even more difficult for those doing the right thing,

[lionrose.7]

Next it will be the work house.

Wonder if they can get things from the chemist like birth control products or will the Gov hand them out free.

I think all birth control should be free.

[davidc4430]

does work for the dole still exist? never hear anything on it now. is it or was it a success or did it cost more to run than what it returned.?

i dont agree with punishing those on govt payments like they are different to working people.

if they are breaking the law then treat them like any other law breakers.

if they are struggling along (not very many on govt payments are acumulating millions) on the less than lowest amount its deemed required to survive then belting them for not being perfect by those who do have good incomes is a low act.

allways makes my blood boil when any politician uses people on benifits as their personal punching bag as they know there are votes in the kicking the 'dole bludger'

dole bludgers arnt the ones who have created the huge debt our country owes

love to know how many $ we have spent fighting in iraq ect.

[lyndal1838]

The term "bludger" is usually reserved for someone who is considered to be not using the government benefit as it is meant to be used.

The way I read your post is that everyone on benefits is a bludger.   That is patently not the case.  I would say that the real "dole bludgers" are indeed helping to create the current debt situation.   Get the bludgers out of the system allow the genuine welfare recipients to get what they are entitled to.

You maintain that anyone on benefits should be punished in the same way as anyone else who breaks the law.....how does that work if they can barely feed themselves and/or their family.  If they are in jail they don't get the dole which makes it even harder for the family to survive.

As for the work for the Dole scheme.....it is still going strong and job seekers who are still on benefits after a year are expected to participate for 6 months of every year that they continue to receipve benefits.

[equinegirl1965]

Icyfroth: you can get Centrelink to pay your mortgage or rent straight into your account.

Ah, only if the landlord accepts Centrepay.  Not a single mortgage provider accepts Centrepay.  Also that has to come from the 20% which is paid to the bank account, not the 80% that's trapped on the card.

No more Ebay, Facebook buy and sell, Gumtree, garage sales, private purchases of second hand goods.  

No more farmer's markets unless they have EFTPOS and agree to take the card.

No more Aldi as it will not accept the card.

No more dignity - pull out this card and everyone can see you receive help.  

No more privacy - all transactions are tracked and information shared throughout the private sector.  

But hey we're just people with disabilities who are sitting at home collecting our "generous" pensions so we can fund our extravagent "lifestyle choices".  Yep, things like paying the mortgage, insuring our possessions, trying to keep our vehicles on the road, feeding ourselves, paying the power and water bills...

Ask anyone with a disability how much of a struggle life is, and you can bet we are not going to say "Piece of cake," because it's anything but.  Would you like to swap lives so you can sample the "lifestyle choices" I make?  Living in a half finished house because I couldn't afford to buy an already finished one but I also have no money to buy materials to finish it.  Running a vehicle because in the rural area where I live we have no public transport.  Heck we count ourselves lucky to still have a public hospital and a medical centre!  

Life on a pension is difficult enough.  Preventing pensioners from freely accessing the majority of their income, so that the private sector can profit from poverty, is a national disgrace.  

Anyone who thinks it's a good idea can happily volunteer for the scheme, whether they receive Centrelink or not!  

[equinegirl1965]

moonflyte: I'm amazed you can afford to pay off a mortgage on the dole.

Really?  Everyone on Centrelink is on an unemployment payment?

Everyone on Centrelink has never had a job or financial responsibilities or heck a LIFE?

The Aged Pension is the vast majority of the "welfare" spend.  Unemployment payments are actually the LOWEST PORTION but it's always "the dole" that's discussed as being "welfare".  

Do you know that people with disabilities are eligible for a pension if they are not capable of working to support themselves?

Do you know that thousands and thousands of people receive carer payments because they choose to look after a loved one rather than putting them into an institution at government expense?  

Do you know that parents make up a huge portion of the "welfare" spend with their tax benefits, child care rebates and so on?

Do you think all the above are "on the dole"?  

[imastawka]

Centrelink never have, and never will pay your mortgage for you.

They only help with rent assistance

[chameleon54]

---

@equinegirl1965 wrote:

moonflyte: I'm amazed you can afford to pay off a mortgage on the dole.

Really?  Everyone on Centrelink is on an unemployment payment?

Everyone on Centrelink has never had a job or financial responsibilities or heck a LIFE?

The Aged Pension is the vast majority of the "welfare" spend.  Unemployment payments are actually the LOWEST PORTION but it's always "the dole" that's discussed as being "welfare".  

Do you know that people with disabilities are eligible for a pension if they are not capable of working to support themselves?

Do you know that thousands and thousands of people receive carer payments because they choose to look after a loved one rather than putting them into an institution at government expense?  

Do you know that parents make up a huge portion of the "welfare" spend with their tax benefits, child care rebates and so on?

Do you think all the above are "on the dole"?  

---

All of the points you make are valid. The unfortunate truth is there is a percentage of people on welfare who ARE rorting the system. They are not trying to find employment and would refuse employment if it was offered to them. They take it as their god given right to recieve money, contributed to social spending by others who are working and paying their taxes.

This causes a number of problems for those such as yourself who are genuine welfare recipients.

 It stigmatises ALL welfare recipients as there is a tendancy to just class everyone on welfare as lazy people who dont contribute to society. This is clealy not the case as carers are saving the taxpayer a lot of money in care costs and many welfare recipients are active volunteers in community organisations. Many disabled and retired pensioners spend huge amounts of time in voluntary community service and keep many worthwhile organisations running.

Probably an even bigger problem is welfare bludgers are taking money and services that should be going to those who are in genuine need. There is only so much money to go around and the more people it needs to be spread over, the less there is for everyone. The result is our genuine unemployed, aged and disability pensioners are barely living above the poverty line. Frankly this is a disgrace.

A third problem is that we are seeing increasing levels of inter-generational unemployment. There are very large numbers of kids who are growing up in families where no -one works and the kids themselves are going on to be unemployed and facing youth social problems such as teenage pregnancy, petty crime and drug use. If these same kids where growing up in families where they had positive role models and recieved some basic parenting they would often achieve much better outcomes in life.

Its not PC to point out the b!eeding obvious but we cant really have a constructive debate on the cost of welfare if we put our heads in the sand and ignore what is an increasing social problem.

[ferdiguba]

so its OK for you to fund international corporations?

[davidc4430]

i think the number of welfare recipients 'rorting' the system is most likely very low. but they are making the welfare sector an easy target for anyone who thinks welfare payments are carp and should be stopped (if they told the truth).

as anyone living on any welfare payment knows, its not luxury.

why as a society we have changed from a careing people who wanted to look after our disadvantaged in a way that didnt make them feel like a burdon to our society into just that i dont know. maybe its just our 21st century view of life, the Me Me Me age.

today it seems if your unfortunate enough to be in the bottom of the barrel (no one chooses to be born into a life of poverty) the people who are lucky enough to be in the higher groups feel its their responsiblity to not only keep you at the bottom but punish you daily for being there. i think anyone who is born into a 'poor' family and has the 'smarts' to get out, does. but i also know most just will never have the 'smarts' and will allways be relying on welfare, not their fault, just the luck of the draw.

i just wish we could all just take a moment to reflect and say, thank whoever/whatever i didnt get that persons life.

and not look down our noses and just say 'bludger'