Anthony Albanese’s plan to scrap the cashless welfare card will cause kids to go hungry, Ben Fordham warns: ‘More money will be spent on alcohol and drugs’
- Ben Fordham has slammed the govt’s decision to scrap the cashless welfare card
- The 2GB host said ‘kids are going to go hungry’ if the card is scrapped
- The card quarantines payments so money can’t be used for alcohol or gambling
- The PM defended the decision to scrap it, claiming it will empower communities
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The scrapping of the controversial cashless welfare debit card is one step closer, but many are up in arms calling the move ‘terrible’.
The card, which was introduced into certain communities by the Coalition government in 2016 and prevented up to 80 per cent of welfare money from being spent on alcohol and gambling, has seen legislation to scrap it passed in the Lower House and will now go to the Senate.
2GB radio breakfast host Ben Fordham blasted the federal government’s move to scrap the cashless welfare card on Wednesday, saying ‘kids are going to go hungry’ and it is all because the government listened to the wrong people.
Ben Fordham (pictured) has slammed the government’s decision to get rid of the cashless welfare card. The 2GB host said ‘kids are going to go hungry’ if the card is scrapped
‘This one is a shocker. Once it is gone all together more kids are going to go hungry that’s the bottom line,’ he said.
‘Actions have consequences and the consequences of this action are horrendous.
‘More money will be spent on alcohol, more money will be spent on drugs, more money will be spent on cigarettes and more money will be spent on gambling.’
The 2GB host said more importantly it is the kids who will suffer from the government’s move.
‘Kids will go hungry. They will miss out on fruit and vegetables and on breakfast cereal, and school lunches and warm dinners,’ he said.
‘Because some people just cannot help themselves. They are so unwell, so sick with addiction issues they have no control. That’s why we brought in the cashless welfare card.
‘It was introduced to help people, to help people spend 80 per cent on essential items, to help people look after their children and give them things they need.
‘The card is about to vanish and it is all because the prime minister isn’t prepared to follow through with a bit of tough love.’
The card, which was introduced into certain communities by the Coalition government in 2016 and prevented up to 80 per cent of welfare money from being spent on alcohol and gambling, has seen legislation to scrap it passed in the Lower House and will now go to the Senates
The cashless debit card scheme has been controversial since being introduced as critics say it unfairly targets First Nations communities and stigmatises users.
The Labor government has been highly critical of the scheme, with Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth saying it has been ineffective.
‘The former Coalition government imposed the cashless debit card as a magic fix-all to complex and social problems experienced in some of our most vulnerable populations,’ she said.
Ben Fordham said the government had listened to the wrong people, namely Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe who just ‘thinks that everything is racist’.
‘Lidia Thorpe said the card is racist. Well Lidia Thorpe thinks that everything is racist,’ he said.
‘She thinks that the police are racist, she thinks the defence force is racist, she thinks parliament house is racist, she thinks Australia is racist, she thinks the Australian anthem is racist, she thinks the flag is racist.
‘Racism, racism, racism, Lydia Thorpe always plays the race card and she did with this.’
If the card is to be abolished, anyone who wants to remain involved voluntarily will be transferred to the BasicsCard.
The BasicsCard, was introduced in 2007 under the Northern Territory Intervention policy.
It was a voluntary program and quarantines 50 per cent of an individual’s income, to similarly make sure they spend money on essentials.
Much like the welfare debit card it aims to minimise harm in regional and rural communities stemming from addiction, such as gambling and alcohol.
Last week the Prime Minister defended his government’s decision to ditch the card, saying it will empower communities where it had been rolled out.
Despite criticism from the opposition, Mr Albanese said there was a mandate for the scheme’s removal.
‘We had a welfare system that was paying a private company to engage in activity with for-profit motive, which was resulting in… issues being imposed on communities,’ he told parliament.
He added that it was important for people to have control over their money.
‘One of things we have done is to make sure we’re about empowering communities, not taking power away from them.’
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