Indigenous People Treated “As Third-Class Citizens” Under Cashless Welfare Card

The cashless welfare card has been called “unfair” and “a form of control” by chief Indigenous health leaders.

Pat Turner, the chief executive of the national peak body on Aboriginal health, said the “indue card” is a constant reminder that Indigenous people are “treated as second and third class citizens in their own land”.

It was initially trialed in Ceduna, a South Australian town, in March. The trial was later extended to the Western Australian towns of Kununurra and Wyndham in April.

According to reports from the Guardian, residents of Ceduna who were welfare recipients, felt disempowered and dictated to.

The indue card works like this: the card is charged with 80 per cent of someone’s total welfare payment, which cannot be used to withdraw cash, buy alcohol or gambling products. Then, the other 20 per cent of payments may be withdrawn as cash.

The government has been in favour of the card, calling it a success.

A report was released six months into the card’s trial, and early evidence indicated poker machine revenue in Ceduna dropped 15.1 per cent compared to the previous year. There also appeared to be a strong uptake of financial counselling.

As an experienced leader in the field of Indigenous health, Pat Turner questions the legitimacy of the evidence.

Cashless welfare just punishes those in hardship even more, makes things harder, benefits NOBODY. https://t.co/Qi0vqbVQM5

— Byorgen Druffeldroff (@bastardsheep) 28 December 2016

“One of the key issues in many of the areas where the card operates, such as in remote areas of South Australia, is the difficulty of accessing fresh produce at reasonable prices,” Ms Turner said.

“Where is the evidence that this card increases this access and enables Aboriginal people to get the healthy food they need?”

Speaking to the Guardian, she said people may experience shame when being forced to use such cards, resulting in "detrimental impacts on both their mental and physical health and wellbeing,” she explained.

Most of the people in the trial towns on the indue card are Indigenous.

Aboriginal elders, health economists and Greens senators have also been critical of the government’s cashless welfare card.

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