Centrelink change proposed by Peter Dutton   
Dutton vows to reintroduce cashless welfare card   


Daily Mail Australia
14 January 2025

Peter Dutton has vowed to reintroduce a cashless debit card for welfare recipients in Indigenous communities, preventing them from wasting money on alcohol and gambling.

The opposition leader made the pledge while speaking in the Labor-held seat of Chisholm, Melbourne on Sunday as the election campaign warms up before the date has been declared.   

'In Indigenous communities where drugs and alcohol are prevalent, we will reintroduce the Cashless Debit Card for working-aged welfare recipients in consultation with communities, to make sure children are getting the support from their parents that they deserve,' Dutton said.






The cashless card was introduced in 2016 to prevent welfare recipients from spending on alcohol, withdrawing cash, or gambling, and limited their spending chiefly to groceries.

It quarantined up to 80 per cent of welfare recipients' income, with only 20 per cent of their welfare payments going into their bank accounts.

A trial of the card from 2019 to 2021 in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region revealed it had stopped more than $400,000 of welfare money being spent on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling.

However Labor abolished the card soon after coming into government in 2022. 

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said at the time that the card had not worked and it was 'time to give people their autonomy back'.

Peter Dutton has vowed to reintroduce a cashless debit card for welfare recipients in Indigenous communities

The Anthony Albanese government scrapped the welfare cards shortly after coming into power in 2022.    

'So many people's lives were adversely affected because they couldn't access enough cash ... to be able to live their life,' Rishworth said.

The Parliamentary Budget Office said getting rid of the card would save the government almost $290million over four years.

The opposition voted against scrapping the card, arguing it would lead to an increase in alcohol and drug abuse with associated violence in vulnerable communities.

The date of the federal election is yet to be announced, though it must be held on or before May 17.

Both Mr Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are already on the campaign trail and making election promises.

Centrelink payments wasted on drugs, booze and pokies.

Duttons aim is a good one.

The right's Battlers wouldn't have a problem.
But the Left's Bludgers might

Daves2017 wrote on Jan 17^th, 2025 at 11:44am:



several studies showed it failed

John Smith wrote on Jan 17^th, 2025 at 3:59pm:

Nonsense.

John, none of the four points listed in the SMH article are a failure of the intended purpose.

John Smith wrote on Jan 18^th, 2025 at 11:23am:


Yeah, that one. Very politically charged. But no insight beyond saying the cashless welfare card failed because it is a cashless welfare card, which we oppose on principle.

Dnarever wrote on Jan 18^th, 2025 at 12:13pm:



What is wrong with a making Aborigines unable to spend their welfare money on grog, drugs, poker machines?