SA crossbench senator Rex Patrick votes down continuation of Ceduna cashless welfare card

SA Senator Rex Patrick has said he’ll vote no to a cashless welfare card extension – but the government has amended the bill at the 11th hour.

The future of Ceduna’s cashless welfare card trial is on a knife’s edge in a marathon Senate debate that’s scheduled to run until midnight.

The South Australian trial has been in place since 2016, but it is set to end abruptly on January 1 if senators vote against the Federal Government’s plan to make the trial permanent.

The initiative quarantines 80 per cent of an individual’s welfare payment on the cashless debit card, which cannot be used to pay for alcohol or gambling.

South Australian independent senator Rex Patrick, who had the deciding vote, announced his decision just before 9pm to block the bill.

South Australian crossbench senator Rex Patrick holds a deciding vote on the whether to make the trial permanent in four sites across Australia. Picture: Andrew Brooks

In an 11th hour twist, the government has now circulated amendments so the bill will only extend the trial for another two years, rather than seek to make it permanent.

“This Government is committed to providing certainty to the communities where the Cashless Debit Card operates,” Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said in a statement.

“This amendment does not change our commitment, it simply means we have more work to do to in the future to convince the Parliament they should support this program on a permanent basis too.”

The Federal Government is also circulating amendments for its plan to expand the program to the Northern Territory, which would have automatically transferred people on the Basics card onto the cashless debit card.

The amendment will now make it a voluntary decision for people in the NT to switch cards.

“We are a Government that listens and from the feedback I have received I believe that communities in the Northern Territory will be much more comfortable with this being a voluntary choice between remaining on the BasicsCard or transitioning to the Cashless Debit Card,” Senator Ruston said.

She said the cashless debit card would give recipients “far greater choice and control over where and how they spend their social security payments”.

Earlier, Senator Patrick said the government “has not made out its case” for the trials to be extended indefinitely.

“Unfortunately, the data is not there that supports the concept that the card achieves what it is intended to achieve,” he told the Senate.

“It is on that basis that I will not be supporting this legislation.”