5,000 signatures reached
To: All political parties of Australia
Stop the Debit Card trials . Stop the Privatisation of Social Security Payments to Indue
Cease the trials of the Welfare Debit card in Ceduna and the East Kimberley , Kalgoorlie & Surrounds and the Hinkler region of Bundaberg- Hervey Bay in Qld
Change the concept to a voluntary or court ordered procedure on a case by case basis as needed, or wanted.
Cease the privatisation of social security payments to Indue , the company in control of recipients 80% of their income. Take back the control into gov't and not private. Thus insuring a private company is not profiting off of our lowest paid workers and income support and social security recipients
Stop the blanket approach of compulsory placement on the Welfare Debit Card for all aged 16-64 covering all payments as it stands now in the 3 others sties of Ceduna , Kununurra & Kalgoorlie Surrounds, and for those on Newstart Youth Allowance Parenting payments under 36 in Hinkler, working or not!
Do not allow the program to be rolled out across the whole of Australia.
Do not expand the program to include the old age pension at a later date.
Require the govt to keep social security payments in government hands, not outsourced to the private Indue company using the Visa card platform to control payments and make decisions on behalf of people without their consent. Today you have a job, you are a valued tax payer in the govt's eyes, tomorrow your employer closes down and you lose your job, you are now a target for the welfare debit card and are branded to be incapable of managing your income, a drunk, a drug addict, bludger etc'
I grew up in a country that led us to believe we were all equal citizens, this card will change all of that, as the media and the gov't have spent years creating the social division based on ones' finances. This needs to be stopped and a return to an inclusive caring compassionate nation, instead of the arising division and individualistic mind set of, "I'm all right Jack"
You can find more info on the net for the program and other sites, do your research, then contact your local, MP, and the senators that will be making the decision in the near future as to whether or not Indue will be allowed to be placed across the country onto nearly 2 million people to start with.
The trials still have to go back to reviews.
Why is this important?
The Cashless Welfare Debit Card takes away a person's right to choose where they shop, how they pay their bills and does affect where they live.
Indue control how payments are made instead of you, your banking and bill paying abilities are affected when you are forced to change to either Centrepay or Indue to make your regular payments. You have to ask permission and provide proof of your bills to Indue Some payments are not accepted on the Indue Card or Centrepay ( Some Car Loans, parents have been forced to hand cars back after defaulting due to Indue unable to allow funds for payments) and you are expected to manage those accounts on your 20% allowance to be paid into your nominated bank. Rents are a problem, especially 3rd party rents, periodic leases, and private rentals, as we have seen many people being left behind in rent, late fees, new charges to change to other methods of paying and some made homeless due to Indue not allowing enough cash to pay their rent. Breach notices and debts, snowballing as other bills fall behind trying to catch up.
80% is restricted to the Indue Visa debit/credit card. Leaving people having to "beg" for approvals to normal things they used to be able to do.
Online shopping is restricted, no Ebay. Gumtree, Paypal, Woolworths Online or access to enough cash to be able to purchase secondhand items from Facebook sites, friends, markets etc.Family debt is also a problem to be able to repay loans from families.
Most people on some sort of payment for example, a student rely on being able to buy secondhand text books, pay cash room rentals etc, bus trips, with the indue Welfare Debit card there is not enough accessible cash allowed to do such things.
Most people on newstart, share accommodations, rent rooms, share houses and utilities and pay cash for those expenses, they also rely on cash for transport on regional buses, secondhand clothing etc. Many people on the card are also working , parents working or partnered with working partners too, we have seen many workers put on this card because they don't have 38 hrs a week full time
We have seen across all sites, but most recently the Hinkler site is seeing people struggling as we saw with the first 3 sites, mental health decline, anxiety, stress, depression, sense of worthlessness as people are stigmatised when using the card, public comments when people are seen using the card like " oh that's one of those cards for druggies and alcoholics etc, oh that's that druggy card" etc. When the majority of people forced onto this card have no such problems.
How does someone pay their mortgage on Indue??? Mixed info , we know of a farming family who had to change mortgages only to find setting up their mortgage with a new bank they still couldn't pay their mortgage, have now had to work a work around to keep their home,trusted to pay their employees, yet put on the card because they receive part family payments!
Some people access cheaper items on Ebay or other online services, like home shopping, many DSP are not able to get out all the time to buy things on a card, at an approved place,
We all know there are people in our communities , working and non working that have issues with drugs, alcohol, gambling. This card targets not only those on social security with such addictions, but blankets the majority that do not have any issues, addiction nor financially other than struggling on below poverty line payments and does not address the problems over all in society with the same issues for working people, who can continue to drink, drug and gamble their income away, thus affecting their families too.
We would like to see the card scaled back to people on a voluntary basis, with proper supports put in place to help people,
Costings should the gov't expand to taking over the Basics Card recipients across the NT and other regions will add up to $233 Million up to 2021 if the Morrison Gov't continue to roll this now program out/
That kind of money could provide good services for those that need it in the community, Housing, Rehabs Councelling *Emergency housing rental crisis funds have been cut as of 1st of Jan 2019 in the Hinkler region, leaving people struggling when Indue does not pay their rents with no where to go for help from losing their rentals!
Australians are all supposed to be covered under law equally, The Cashless Debit card see aussies forced onto the card stripped of rights and protections under the social security acts that have been suspended to allow Indue to take over their payments, Privacy, Dignity, Autonomy, Self Determination and Human rights breaches leave card recipients as lesser citizens no longer protected under the law, and stigmatised to be made out to be somewhat lesser for receiving social security payments, combined with the punitive Robodebts, Work For the Dole, Path Traineeships, Parents Next and Job Agencies now more interested in punishments and compliance than helping people get jobs, or receive supports with dignity,
The lie if it works just like a normal debit card needs to be called out, along with the media and certain ministers pushing that the card is aimed at Drug, Alcohol and Gambling and Intergenerational Welfare, when none of it is true, It's about control of people and profits for Indue, nothing more,
How it will be delivered
This petition will be emailed to relevant Ministers within our gov't or tabled to the senate if the opportunity arises.
Please join us in standing up for all Australians rights and freedoms, working, non working, disabled , carers, youth, students, older out of work people etc,
Our kids are NOT Welfare Kids they are Aussie kids