Government sticks to its guns over cashless welfare
Analysis of how the 'Healthy Welfare Card' is working has been exposed as severely flawed, but the Government is standing by its $18 million cashless welfare card trial, despite the damning report.
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has found major flaws in the data used to evaluate cashless welfare trial and claims that it's "difficult to conclude" whether social harm including alcoholism and violence were reduced by the system.
The Audit office conducted its own analysis and came up with different figures on ambulance call-outs and school attendance.
The office conceded that the trial was well implemented, but there are major flaws in the data collection used to evaluate the scheme.
Despite the this report, Social Services Minister Dan Tehan is sticking to his guns.
"The cashless debit card is making a real difference in the communities where it operates," he said in a statement.
"[It] is an important element of the Government's work to reduce welfare-funded social harm, and to help Australians escape welfare dependency.
Acting Shadow Social Services Minister Linda Burney questions whether the card does indeed help people, saying the card should not be rolled out to other communities until there is incontrovertible proof that it works.
"We simply don't know. We have testimony from communities that are part of the trial sites and there is a variety of views in the community about the value of the card," she told AM.
Do you think it's a good idea? Would you be happy to have your pension paid via such a method?
More socialist nonsense. Be careful what you wish for. Everyone will be caught eventually so no holier tha thou comments. We need stronger laws in place and acted upon if anything is to change.