Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (NT, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to express my utmost, absolute disappointment at this government's ham-fisted approach to attempt to smash the cashless debit card—income management that, I will remind the government, was an initiative of the Gillard government, to begin with. To attempt to now call this racist is utterly ridiculous, because Jenny Macklin as the previous minister defended it and did not call it racist at all but a measure that needed to be put in place.

Talk about consulting at the grassroots level! As a Warlpiri women who is engaged with people from remote communities—out of sight, out of mind—with people who don't speak English as a first language—not that this government seems to care at all for these individuals, because they are out of sight and out of mind and don't have access to media, don't have the ability to articulate, so they can be easily ignored—I find it very distressing.

As part of a research group in 2001 when it all began, income management, I was part of investigating, speaking to, income management recipients in the first trial of income management—rolled out, again, by the Labor Gillard government. The purpose of the investigation was to seek the views of the recipients on the program. And, I can tell you, speaking directly to Indigenous women, they said that this was very helpful for their lives. I spoke to one woman who stated that she was able to stop drinking and stop gambling and feed her children, and she could say no to family members who were demanding access to her income, as a result. I spoke to a non-Indigenous woman who said she was able to halt her addiction to methamphetamines and to, then, regain custody of her child and ensure that her child could go to school.

These are the people I speak to every single day. I've been fielding calls in my office every day, since this is what the Labor government proposed, who are deeply concerned. I had an Indigenous man call me from Western Australia, yesterday, who had grave concerns for his father-in-law who is currently having his income stolen from him by his drug-dealer son. You're all ignoring this! I think it's disgusting. This government is going to ensure that addicts have complete access, can take away the income, that they can smash the human rights of these vulnerable people in those communities. You have absolutely no idea. Not only this, but you're changing your minds on this particular issue.

I will also state that in 2020 Senator Lines—yourself, President—called the basics card racist. Again, it was when your own minister defended it and did not call it racist. Now this government is trying to say that only Territorians will be subject to income management. So it's alright for blackfellas in the Territory but for nobody else in the country! This is creating two classes of people in this nation. We as the coalition decided that it would be for all Australians, equally. Let's not forget, income management and social security is a temporary measure for people to get back on their own two feet. Ultimately, we want people to have jobs so they can stand on their own two feet and use their income as they wish.

In the Northern Territory it's fifty-fifty. You have 50 per cent cash. So those who are addicts, yes, they can go ahead and buy alcohol, if that's what they want to use it for. They can deny their children a feed. They can do that. The other 50 per cent is quarantined, so maybe they can cover their bills. Indigenous Australians, especially those whose first language is not English, don't have the same sorts of opportunities and freedoms and understanding of a cash economy. They don't have that. They don't have income literacy. This is one of those measures and one of those tools, and I find it absolutely disgusting that you're denying them this.

I suggest that you get out to some of these remote communities, where people—who are out of sight, out of mind to you—can't clearly articulate to you, because English is not their first language, and stop toeing the ideological line. I will bring to these chambers, over and over again, the messages from those who are continually calling my office, absolutely distressed, about their loved ones whose welfare payments are being stripped from them as we speak. You are leaving them vulnerable and open.

As I mentioned, some of you argue it's racist. Perhaps this government is racist—because they're suggesting it's alright for blackfellas in the Northern Territory but it's not alright for the rest of Australia. For those that are having a whinge over on Hervey Bay, we're trying to save lives here not toe the line of ideology. (Time expired)