Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I find it beyond remarkable that the opposition has put forward this matter of public importance in relation to vulnerable people. For the Liberal and National parties, the parties of robodebt and the parties of WorkChoices and healthcare cuts—the parties that introduced the harsh cashless debit card—to come here today to stand and lecture us about it is absolutely appalling!

The fact is we're delivering on the government's election commitment to abolish the cashless debit card, and we are doing that because privatised welfare does not work. That is the reality. We have consulted extensively about abolishing the card. Those opposite didn't consult with anybody when they put more than 17,000 people on the card. Bang! They were put straight on the card—that's the reality. We are working with communities who have been devastated by the cashless debit card—

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