Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

What I can assure the senator is that the policy of the coalition government in relation to Newstart, and our focus on finding people on Newstart a job, has not changed. In relation to the cashless debit card, which is currently being trialled in four sites—and I thank you very much for your continued engagement in making that program as good as we possibly can make it and better than it already is—I can assure you that our policy in relation to the benefits that are being delivered to the communities in which the cashless debit card is currently being trialled has not changed either. We believe that the benefits that have been generated in these communities—lower incidences of alcohol and drug abuse, lower instances of domestic violence, and the fact that children are now attending school—are very, very strong points for why this government should continue to pursue the benefits of the cashless debit card. But at the same time our overarching policy is always to create more jobs for more Australians.