Sunday, April 15, 2012

Oppose the extension of the NT’s "income management"

Vanguard May 2010 p. 4
Nick G.

Working class Australians of all backgrounds and ethnicities will be the major targets of Rudd government plans to extend welfare quarantining and income management.

These measures were introduced by the former Howard government as part of its so-called "emergency intervention" into prescribed Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.

The Howard government suspended the NT Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) in order to impose the measures just on Aboriginal people.

Labor has promised to lift the suspension of the RDA, but this would also mean that it has to stop racist welfare quarantining.

However, Labor has found the hole in the donut. Just extend income management to selected groups of non-indigenous Australians and the policy is no longer technically racist.

Three types of non-Aboriginal welfare recipients are expected to be caught up in the income management web. They are welfare recipients who are "disengaged youth", "long-term recipients" over the age of 25, and anyone who is considered to be "at risk".

The current thrust of such policy is clearly punitive. It is an attack on the rights and liberties of marginalized people, some of whom may well seek income management assistance if it was tailored to their individual circumstances and designed to strengthen and empower them in their various social and financial relations.

However, an extension of the existing NT scheme will not be empowering or supportive.

The government claims that income management protects women and children and prevents violence, and says that there is better health due to changed purchasing, nutrition and other spending.

However, these claims are not supported by data. Where the data exists, for example, in relation to court cases involving child abuse or violence, the evidence is of no improvement (child abuse) and no decrease (violence).
Indeed a health impact assessment by the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association says that observable detrimental effects of welfare quarantining include such social and psychological factors as shame, distress and a lack of control over their lives that is essential to good health.

The assessment refers to anecdotal evidence that shaming is causing immense damage to Aborigines who have to line up in designated BasicsCards queues, are denied goods and cannot control their own money despite no evidence of past mis-spending.

The WomenforWik group warns that some of the consequences of extending the NT measures to the wider Australian population will include:


  • A greater punitive impact on women who do most household shopping and control the money, especially in low income households, and are most likely to be on benefits as single parents.

  • Limiting spending to big chains and other approved shops and so undermining bargain hunting and the use of markets and second hand goods.

  • Seriously distressing women and families from ethnic backgrounds, including newly arrived immigrants and refugees.

Adding to the difficulties facing those with disabilities on Newstart who may have problems with access, literacy or authority.


The RDA should be reinstated without conditions!
Oppose the extension of income management!

No comments:

Post a Comment