Additional Comments from the Australian Greens

1.1The Australian Greens welcome this review into compulsory income management, following amendments made to the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999.

1.2Given the extensive erosion of human rights under compulsory income management, it is critical that scrutiny continues until the total abolition of the regimes.

1.3The evidence before this Committee and the many inquiries that have come before is clear.Compulsory income management has been a failed and punitive approach that disproportionately impacts First Nations communities.

1.4As stated by the Australian Greens at the time of passage of the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Income Management Reform) Act 2023, the Australian Labor Party’s extension of compulsory income management partly through the enhanced Income Management scheme was a reversal of commitments made by the Australian Labor Party. Opposition social services spokesperson the Hon. Linda Burney MP said previously:

Our fundamental principle on the basics card and the cashless debit card, it should be on a voluntary basis … If people want to be on those sorts of income management, then that’s their decision. It’s not up to Labor or anyone else to tell them what to do. At the moment it’s compulsion and that’s not Labor’s position.[1]

1.5In government, the Hon. Linda Burney MP said ‘Labor’s fundamental position is that we do not believe in mandatory income management’.[2]

1.6As this inquiry has made clear, compulsory income management has continued under this Labor Government. Economic Justice Australia submitted that:

‘... That recent legislative changes and Ministerial determinations in respect of the Enhanced Income Management program have served to reinforce compulsory income management as a component of the social security policy framework, rebranded, without proper scrutiny by Parliament of the range of fundamental human rights concerns raised over many years regarding compulsory quarantining of social security entitlements.’[3]

1.7Accountable Income Management Network submit:

‘There appears to be significant inconsistencies between the government’s commitment to the successful “abolition” of the compulsory nature of the Cashless Debit Card whilst retaining other forms of compulsory income management regimes.’[4]

1.8With clear consensus, the Australian Labor Party must immediately reverse embedding compulsory income management into our social security system and legislative frameworks.

1.9The Australian Labor Party must not continue to kick the can down the road, and commit to abolishing compulsory income management as a matter of urgency.The majority report makes it clear that this should not take longer than 12 months and this is the maximum time it should take for this reform to be effectively delivered.

1.10Without a firm timeline on abolishing compulsory income management this continues to represent another broken promise from the Australian Labor Party. We hope that this report will be the impetus to meet the promise with action.

Senator David Shoebridge

Senator for New South Wales

Australian Greens

Footnotes

[1]Luke Henriques-Gomes, ‘Cashless welfare: Labor vows to end compulsory use of basics card’, the Guardian, 19 April 2022.

[2]The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, the Hon Linda Burney MP, the Hon Justine Elliot MP, ‘Cashless debit card repeal, support services, The Voice’, press conference transcript, 28 September 2022, Parliament House.

[3]Economic Justice Australia, Submission 9, p. 1.

[4]Accountable Income Management Network, Submission 6, p. 6.