E&OE
Topics: Cashless debit card repeal, income management, AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, UN climate change impacts to Torres Strait, National Anti-Corruption Commission
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Today Labor has announced a suite of measures that supports our election commitment to end the cashless debit card and transition to voluntary income management. This was a critical election announcement because the cashless debit card was a failed program that did not deliver good outcomes in communities. Instead, what Labor has announced today is that we will support choice and control in income management to allow people to volunteer on to income management. But importantly, we've also announced a record investment in communities to support services that actually work. We know that communities often will have the solutions to difficult and complex problems and that's why Labor has announced that we will invest in these solutions in these services. The former government had not put money in the budget past the first of July next year to support the services on the ground in these communities. What Labor's said is we will make sure that there's funding certainty for these services and we'll work with communities about what extra services are needed to support these complex problems. In addition, Labor's been very clear that if the legislation passes next week in the parliament we will seek to preserve the self-determination process of the Family Responsibilities Commission to ensure that they can have the option of income management as part of their suite of measures that they use. This is an important election commitment that we are delivering on. We will obviously be debating this in front of the Senate next week. But what our announcement today is really about is investing in the support and services that work to give choice and control to communities and individuals in these places around the country. And importantly ensure that we are working with communities on the issues that matter.
JOURNALIST: So if it's a failed program - mixed reviews obviously about the cashless debit card. Why are you retaining it in some form though with the voluntary element?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: We've made it clear that if people would like to use income management as a tool, we're going to provide that option to them. But what we're not going to do is force people if they're on a working age government payment to be forced on to a program that doesn't work. It hasn't achieved the outcomes as needed. But what we are about is allowing choice and control. So for those people that want to continue to use income management as a suite of measures that they might want to take up, we are open to that and we will enable that. But what we're not going to do is force whole communities - by government telling them how to control their money and how to manage their money. That just doesn't work, it's shown it doesn't work, and so we're not going to pursue that.
JOURNALIST: So for those communities that said ‘look, we're worried about the social impacts. We're worried about the ability to manage problems’ you said, ‘okay, that's the reinvestment in services. That's what we’re going do for alcohol rehabilitation, and support’. But how do you think those impacts are going to be felt while it takes time for those services to ramp up?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, many of those services are already in place, and the former government did not provide funding certainty. So what I've been hearing from communities is some of the services already in place have been really supporting communities in dealing with some of the complex, challenging problems. What the former government did is not provide funding certainty for those services. So we will do that as a first step to provide funding certainty. But in addition to that, what we're going to do is make sure that extra services, extra support that are in place that will actually deal with the issues that are evidence based will be implemented because the evidence showed that the cashless debit card did not achieve the outcomes that it promised to achieve.
JOURNALIST: I guess what I'm asking is there's going to be an interim period obviously between the funding being able to be used and the social impact of the withdrawal of the cashless debit card. So how do you propose to manage that?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: What I'm saying is that there was no social impact of the cashless debit card. The evidence showed that it did not work to achieve the outcomes that it said it would. The ANAO wrote a scathing report saying that it just did not achieve the outcomes it should have. So what we are saying is let's take a step back and put in place things that work and that is what we're working with communities about. In addition to that, we're making sure that for individuals and communities that want to take up income management as a tool then we will provide that on a voluntary basis. But what we're not going to do is impose the cashless debit card across communities, which cause a lot of problems. I might remind people that the outcomes from the Adelaide University report said that participants on the card felt six stigmatised, discriminated against. And I heard stories of just how difficult the card made people's lives by not being able to buy second hand goods on Facebook Marketplace or other informal second hand trading opportunities. So what we are doing is making sure that we will invest in solutions that work. We're not going to continue with a program that just didn’t work.
JOURNALIST: How are you expecting this legislation to go in the Senate?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: We have put forward a comprehensive package, a transition plan and importantly compelling evidence that this program did not work. Obviously, the Senate will make its own decision. But I think there is compelling evidence in addition to the fact that this was an election commitment that Labor made.
JOURNALIST: The Greens have said that they want it all scrapped, that’s the current proposal from them…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I'm not going to speak on other parties’ proposals. I think we've put forward a very compelling proposal, a suite of measures to support transition. A suite of measures that are evidence based that actually will go to tackling some of the challenges and complex problems in communities. I'll leave it up to other Senators to make their comments. But we think that we have outlined something very comprehensive and I would seek parliamentarians’ support on that. In addition, this was an election commitment from Labor. We were elected, so I would seek support for that mandate as well.
JOURNALIST: Minister, I just have a couple on our submarine deal. AUKUS has been in place for 12-months now and we still don't have any indication of what submarine we will use. Is this process taking too long?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: What the Deputy Prime Minister has said is that the decision making process is on track. We are obviously keen to get out the best capability as possible as soon as we possibly can. That is something that the Deputy Prime Minister has been very clear about and he's made it clear that we're on track for a decision about that in March.
JOURNALIST: There are reports in the US suggesting the Biden Administration is exploring ways to expedite nuclear powered subs for Australia by producing the first few in America as a stopgap measure. Is that a likely scenario?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: This is all speculation. The Deputy Prime Minister has been very clear that we need to acquire our capability as quickly as possible. He's working very hard to do that. Making sure that we have the best capability and he will continue to do that.
JOURNALIST: Just back on cashless welfare. Why not put an end to all forms of compulsory income management?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Our election commitment was clear that we want to end the cashless debit card and make sure that we have a transition to voluntary income management. Other income management around the country in 12 place-based sites we have also said we want to consult with communities about the future of that income management. We will continue to consult with communities about how we transition to voluntary income management into the future. But our first priority is ending the cashless debit card. We've got to be very clear that this legislation was due to sunset under the former government on the 31st of December. The former government took no steps to put a plan in place that went beyond the 31st of December. So our priority has been around ending this program, making sure that there's a transition plan in place, allowing for an option of voluntary income management and importantly putting the support and the services in place that actually work. And that's been our commitment.
JOURNALIST: The UN says Australia needs to provide an effective remedy for Torres Strait residents because of the impacts of climate change. What's the government considering?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, the government has been working very closely with our Torres Strait Islanders about climate change. In fact, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Climate Change and the Minister for Indigenous Australians have traveled up to the Torres Strait. This complaint was put in under the previous government and we will consider the report and make a response in due time.
JOURNALIST: It's pretty tough though, you're going have to pay for impacts that have already occurred, plus future impacts…
AMANDA RISHWORTH: We will work with the Torres Strait Islanders and people in the Torres Strait are very closely. This was a complaint made under the previous government, and we will continue to work through that, and the government will respond in due course.
JOURNALIST: Will the government be providing compensation?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: As I said, the government will be responding in due course.
JOURNALIST: The commitment from the ALP is that there'll be an anti-corruption commission legislated by the end of the year. Are you willing to consider extra sitting days so that could happen?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: We've been very clear that we want to see the introduction of legislation for an anti-corruption commission. This has been another election commitment that we've made a priority and we will see legislation introduced. I'm sure there'll be a big debate on that legislation. But what our priority is, is that we have a anti-corruption commission that can investigate systemic or serious corruption, that the people of Australia have confidence that there is a body that will be able to deal with serious and systemic corruption. We are committed to that outcome and will continue to pursue it in the parliament.
JOURNALIST: Can it happen by the end of the year?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: We've been very clear that we would introduce legislation as a matter of priority by the end of the year we will do that. And no doubt there will be a debate across the country. I think that's a good thing. I think we need to get this right. But we need to have an anti-corruption commission that can do the job that gives confidence to the Australian people and puts confidence back into our government and into our democracy. Thank you.