Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support my colleague Senator Gallagher in that this Senate should not proceed with the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Continuation of Cashless Welfare) Bill 2020 as part of the procedural motion that is before the chair. I know from my conversations with the crossbenchers—and in particular with Senator Patrick, who has said this not only to me personally but also publicly—that they are very torn by this piece of legislation. Senator Patrick has provided over 50 questions for the government to answer, and my understanding is that they have not been answered. There are thousands and thousands of families across the Northern Territory who are going to be greatly impacted by this piece of legislation. It is incumbent on the senators in this Senate, who are going to rule on the lives of the people of the Northern Territory in particular, to understand what it is they're talking about.

I appeal to the crossbenchers and I thank them—Senator Patrick and Senator Lambie—for coming to the Northern Territory, listening to the people of the Northern Territory and recognising that when the BasicsCard came in, in 2007, people didn't ask for the BasicsCard, just like they're not asking for the cashless debit card. The Senate must be acutely aware of these facts. I urge our crossbenchers in particular not to allow this procedural motion to go ahead in including this particular bill.

There is a great deal of work that still needs to be done. There is no need to rush through something that the government has had on the Notice Paper for 12 months in relation to those four trial sites. It is not the fault of this Senate that the government has been unable to get its act together. It is not the fault of this Senate that the government has failed to evaluate those four trial sites. It is not the fault of the Senate that the government has refused to allow us to see the University of Adelaide report, which it spent $2.5 million on, to evaluate those four trial sites in order for the Senate to review, examine and investigate—as we should do in the Australian parliament when we are making decisions about people's lives. The government has failed to do that. It has done a sloppy and inefficient job. It has degraded the lives of the people who have lived on this card for the last four years. Now you want to add thousands more from the Northern Territory to it. I urge this Senate, I urge the crossbenchers: do not support this motion.