Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) | Hansard source

I'd like to begin by thanking my friend the honourable member for Deakin for bringing this important motion to the House and for his longtime advocacy for vulnerable communities whilst in government and now in opposition. Over the parliamentary break, I was very pleased to spend some time in the East Kimberley. It was just so wonderful to catch up with business and community leaders and to attend the annual Kununurra Agricultural Show—like no other show in the world, let me tell you. This is a very proud, tight-knit community that resides in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. This is a community of doers; whether it's tourism or the agriculture industry, there is no shortage of new ideas or new projects being developed.

The East Kimberley has been severely impacted by the floods that were in the Fitzroy River region and later on in the Northern Territory over the past 12 months. There were no tourists and no food, but somehow this community picks itself up and works together to put the community back together. Sadly, some of Australia's most vulnerable people live in the East Kimberley region. Unfortunately, the East Kimberley faces serious problems, particularly surrounding alcohol abuse, child neglect and general antisocial behaviour. Since the repeal of the cashless debit card, we have seen these problems escalate. As I previously informed the House, with the cashless debit card, parents would keep a credit at the school canteen for their children's lunches. Now, with the abolition of the card, this is no longer occurring, resulting in children going hungry at school. This is getting reported time and time again. Locals have stressed to me that Labor's decision to abolish the CDC has directly correlated with a spike in alcohol-fuelled violence and crime. This is backed up by data that showed increased reporting of drinking, gambling, stabbings, domestic violence and school nonattendance in the weeks after the cashless debit card was scrapped. These impacts are, sadly, not unique to the East Kimberley and have also been felt in other trial sites in WA, South Australia and Queensland.

The cashless debit card program, introduced by the coalition, was simple and effective. Cardholders would receive 80 per cent of their welfare benefit as a credit on a card, which couldn't be used to spend on alcohol, drugs or gambling, and the remaining 20 per cent was available to be withdrawn as cash. Over 17,000 participants were given the choice to move to the Albanese government's new smart card, which is essentially a $217.7 million rebrand of the cashless debit card. I'd say that's not that smart. What about you, Member for Deakin? Or they have a choice to switch to 100 per cent being deposited in their bank account. Honestly, the Labor Party is completely out of touch. Did they think that people suffering from serious alcohol and drug abuse would choose to have less funds to be able to feed their habit? This is serious. This is not a laughing matter. But, honestly, they are completely out of touch. Not surprisingly, the number of people on income management in the East Kimberley has been reported to have plunged from 1,209 when it was compulsory to just 43 participants. This is alongside the 43 in the Goldfields, 22 in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay and 19 in Ceduna in South Australia. Keep in mind that this is despite the government spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a new scheme during a cost-of-living crisis.

The Department of Social Services acknowledges that income management and improved control of recipients' finances help people to stabilise their lives so that they can better care for themselves and their children. So it beggars belief that the Albanese government has chosen to abolish the cashless debit card. The cynic in me believes that this decision was less about supporting vulnerable Australians and more about pleasing and potentially grabbing votes from the city elites. It is absolutely shameful. I call on the government to get its priorities right, reverse its reckless action and reinstate the cashless debit card. Get on with supporting our most vulnerable communities, particularly in remote and regional Australia and particularly for my constituents in the East Kimberley.

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