Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to address this very important issue that is closing the gap, the questions that were asked and the answers that were given by various ministers in relation to this point. I take what Senator Sheldon is saying. There are some important initiatives that this government is implementing. But he talks about fee-free TAFE. One thing that Senator Sheldon failed to recognise in his contribution is that what fee-free TAFE is doing is preferencing funding towards, essentially, public service delivery and training, and we've got many Indigenous registered training organisations that are not going to be in receipt of the support of fee-free TAFE, because it has to go to TAFE and not private institutions.

We know the wraparound support that's provided by Indigenous-controlled and run RTOs is actually very profound, particularly when it comes to training and supporting Indigenous people in this country. That's a point that Senator Sheldon failed to mention.

On the issue of one of the questions that came up in relation to income management, there is a long list of disappointments when it comes to the Albanese government. Its handling of the cost of living crisis is certainly towards the top. In Western Australia, my home state, the passing of the legislation to ban the live sheep trade is a big disappointment. There is a long list of disappointments, but one of the great shames of this government was the very first piece of legislation that it brought into this place, which was to abolish the cashless debit card. This initiative was working in communities across Australia. There were four trial sites: the eastern Goldfields and the northern Goldfields, in the Kimberley; Ceduna, in South Australia; and Bundaberg, in Queensland.

The impact of the cashless debit card on each of these communities was quite profound. It was no silver bullet—no-one ever claimed it was—but it was having a significant impact. Because of the government's ideology against this initiative, without listening to those in the community and without engaging with those in the community—we learnt through the inquiry process that the Minister for Social Services and the assistant minister, when they made the decision to abolish the cashless debit card, didn't even visit and never actually spoke to people on the ground. Whom did they listen to? They listened to the academics in the universities of Sydney and Melbourne, rather than listening to the people on the ground in these communities. It is a great shame that that legislation was passed by this parliament and abolished the cashless debit card without them listening to those that are on the ground in these communities.

What's happened now? We've seen those communities recede back to the previous levels of violence and social unrest, and kids are going to school hungry. The Wyndham primary school now has to bring in extra food on a Monday for their breakfast program because kids are going hungry over the weekend, yet, when the cashless debit card was in operation there, they required less food to feed the kids on a Monday because kids were getting a belly full of food. But, because of an ideologically, inner-city driven mindset of this government, we saw the abolition of the cashless debit card. It is a great shame and it is something they should hang their heads in shame over. It's actually impacting upon people's lives. There are women that are frightened for their own lives and their own safety because of the violence that is occurring in places like Laverton and Leonora, in Western Australia; Kununurra, in the Kimberley; and Wyndham. This is happening because of this decision by this government. Last time I checked—and I'm happy to be corrected—the minister, Minister Rishworth, has not been back to these communities since to see the impact of her decision, to see the impact of the decision of this government upon these communities. It is absolutely shameful.

Thankfully a future Dutton led government will restore the cashless debit card not only in these communities but in other communities that might want to see it implemented in their place as a remedy, a solution, to address the harm that is caused by alcohol and drug fuelled violence. We would support that, and that's why you must elect a Dutton coalition government. We're the only ones that are going to act on the needs of the community.