Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you again for your question, Senator Lambie. We didn't make the decision lightly and we did take into account—

Well, I'm about to provide it for you, Senator Lambie. The University of Adelaide report from January 2021 found that the evidence to support the CDC was inconclusive. The study found that any reduction in alcohol and drug abuse could not be attributed to the effect of the card. The report found that the CDC introduced widely-felt and costly hurdles to many participants in financial planning and money management, and that the large proportion of CDC participants reported that their quality of life was affected in a negative way. There is a wealth of research available on the CDC. A study by the University of South Australia and Monash University in 2020 found the CDC had no substantive impact on gambling and intoxicant abuse in Ceduna and no substantive impact on crime or emergency department presentations. A 2020 study by the University of Queensland also found that CDC participants in Hinkler said that the card impacted their emotional wellbeing, that they lived in fear of stigma of their cards being declined and that it reduced their ability to participant in community life and leisure activities that required cash.