Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was speaking on this at about the same time last night, and I was in the same situation too. To remind people: this is to disallow the regulation that sets in place the trial area in the East Kimberley for the cashless welfare card. Where I got up to last night was talking about some of the negative impacts that have occurred with the card in Ceduna and the fact that there are concerns about it in East Kimberley. I have had people on the phone expressing their concerns about people who were not aware that they were going to be subject to the card and that they thought it was an opt-out situation. As I articulated last night, it is not an opt-out situation.

Since then I have received a copy of a letter that has been sent to the Prime Minister, which I talked about in the chamber during adjournment last night. Aboriginal organisations in Geraldton have clearly said that they do not support the cashless welfare card. This coincides with a lot of the feedback that I got at the public meeting that I held in Geraldton, where other community members expressed their strong concern about the cashless welfare card and the impact they would have on their community. They actually had a very clear understanding of what was involved with the cashless welfare card and the significant impacts that it would have on the community, as did the Aboriginal organisations.

Many of them have had a number of meetings with either the minister or representatives from Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Human Services, and I think Social Services as well. They clearly understood the decision that they were making. They have clearly talked about it at length. They did not make a rushed decision. They have clearly now said 'no' to the cashless welfare card.

In fact, I understand today there is news that the local Nationals member—the local Nationals member; one of the government's own team at the state level—does not support the cashless welfare card, because he has obviously been listening very closely to the voices of the community. He came to the meeting that I hosted in Geraldton, and listened very closely to the people who were very strongly and passionately articulating their opposition to this particular program to the government. I have had news today that he has come out and also rejected the cashless welfare card, having listened to the voices of the community. This is particularly important because the minister and the government have always said, 'This will be in consultation with the community'. This did not occur in Ceduna and did not adequately occur in East Kimberley, where the government, as they had tried to do in Geraldton—and the letter to the Prime Minister clearly pointed that out—only went to certain people.

Debate interrupted.

Sitting suspended from 19:20 to 20:00