I would like to firstly state that as of today, the 4th of July 2022, I am a current Cashless Debit Card (CDC) recipient. I first received it back in 2019 when it was first introduced in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. I will let you know that my initial opinion of the card was the same as it is today, except the only difference is, I know from experience how it affects young people on welfare negatively, and in some cases severely.
At the time, my boyfriend Corey Kissack and I were unemployed, and trying desperately to find work. He was interviewed in 2019 by the media, and the news broadcasted it on air. His story was very different than what was shown to the public. The stance they took was more focused on how he was a gamer and enjoyed a drink once in a while, when in reality, he was unemployed, and desperately trying to find a job in the area of which he lived; gaming and drinking were side hobbies to deal with the stress of unemployment.
Corey and I payed are bills on time, and didn’t commit any crime. What I found disturbing was that his financial situation was broadcasted on the internet, for the whole world to see. They even mentioned his actual payment from Centrelink. Had any other person had their income and expenses broadcasted on the TV like that, they might have something serious to say about it, but as he was already suppressed by Centrelink, and other organisations who considered him unimportant, I suppose this is exactly how they all got away with this behaviour.
The initial concept behind the control of payments of welfare recipients in Hervey Bay and Bunderberg in 2019, was to prevent crime and to stop drug dealers and unemployed young people from spending all their allowances on alcohol. The only problem with this is real criminals find ways to cheat the system. How else have they been getting away with it all this time? Perhaps the police have something to say about that, or perhaps the employed locals who support the crimes.
The people who suffer the most from the CDC were not those who misused their allowances, but those who were law abiding citizens, trying to pay bills, provide for their families, and continue with their studies. As it is, being unemployed is embarrassing enough for some, and if that embarrassment is increased by restricting access to cash, so that you can’t purchase items online, or have a date with friends or family, or to even pay rent, then I say that is a serious offence. What money has been invested in the Indue company should be invested in homeless shelters, providing physical and emotional support to young people suffering with mental illness or addiction, and definitely investing in aiding unemployed citizens to find and sustain work. That would be a better use of tax-payer’s money.
The horrible reality is that the Cashless Debit Card is still existing today and being used by young people now in 2022, even if they no longer live in Hervey Bay or Bundaberg, the CDC goes wherever they go. I would have assumed that after these few years, they would have ceased the trial, but no, it is a lie! Once on the card, you will always be on the card, even if you found work and for some reason became unemployed, and had no other option other than to return to Centrelink to request an urgent payment.
There is only one way out of the system, and that is through completing paperwork, which takes weeks to be processed, and if it is accepted. If it is rejected for any reason, the difficulties of living continue, as it did for me, just one month ago, after applying to exit the program before I had received the Centrelink payment again. If I had a choice, I would never return to Centrelink to ask for financial help, and never encourage any young person to ask the Government for financial help. But as it turns out, life happens and desperate times call for desperate measures.
I am returning to study this semester, and I am unable to pay for a vehicle or buy textbooks, due to the control that the Queensland Government has over the Centrelink allowance. Only $200 is allowed to leave my savings account per month, and that is if I don’t pay board. To do that I have to call a specific number, wait for service, and then organise to set up a payment. All that effort just to pay one simple bill. Imagine doing that for nearly every single bill. How can they expect me to purchase a vehicle with just $200 or to pay for all of my university expenses from separate accounts? That’s rediculous!
Only 20% of the welfare goes towards your personal bank, the rest is held hostage in the Indue account (I use the word hostage, because currently I have no access to that money unless I contact the agency over the phone). As I have lost the CDC, I am unable to pay bills, unable to request money, and unable to get ahead to prepare for university. As work is scares, it is hard to have access to cash. I am not the only one going through an issue such as this. Just image what sort of dramas could arise in families who have more than one recipient, who have to share bills together, paying in lump sums, and can’t do it.
Unlike the regular banks, if you lose your bank card, or have it stolen, you can still have access to your money online and be able to transfer it across to an account that you have access to in order to withdraw cash. The CDC does not have this feature. It is designed to be difficult. It is not a system that is productive in reducing crime. It only forces innocent people to struggle more in their day-to-day lives, and restrict their freedom with their money. Anyone who believes that hard cash is the way to go, their freedoms are restricted to almost nothing. Nobody wins here.
Had this been the case for every welfare recipient in Australia, of all ages, it would be protested against by the majority, but as only a small number of people are finding it difficult to make ends meet, the Government will not make a change.
For more information about the Cashless Debit Card, follow this link:
