Australian Governments have been testing and perfecting its targeted attack on our most vulnerable community members since ‘the intervention’ in the Northern Territory in 2007.

Compulsory Income Management is not voluntary for ‘participants’ and comes in various forms such as the Basics Card, and more recently, the most brutal of them all, the Cashless Welfare Card.

This latest version of Compulsory Income Management was introduced as a ‘12 month trial’ initially, but is now in its 6th year in Ceduna, South Australia.

It is outsourced to a private company to administer, and provides incredible surveillance and control over the finances of those forced to participate.

We call for a permanent end (and no further expansion) to all forms of Compulsory Income Management, unless court ordered or voluntarily requested by the income support recipient themselves - without coercion, punitive repercussions or third party profiteering.

Currently the Cashless Welfare Card is operating in Ceduna, South Australia, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Kunnunurra, Western Australia, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region in Queensland, selected Cape York regions in Queensland, and the Northern Territory.

If this expansion continues, it will be a roll out, not a ‘trial’ as per official government narrative.