SA Voice member and former Ceduna Mayor call for changes to Cashless Debit Card as anti-social behaviour rises

A member of the State Voice and Mayor of Ceduna say there needs to be a more targeted approach for people affected by the abolition of the Cashless Debit Card.

Former mayor of Ceduna, Allan Suter, said there needed to be improvements to the Cashless Debit Card if he was to support its return. Picture: Andrew Brooks

A member of the state First Nations Voice to parliament says a more “targeted approach” is needed for people in Ceduna who have been impacted by the implementation and removal of the Cashless Debit Card (CDC).

It comes after a report was obtained through Freedom of Information laws, which showed that the abolition of the CDC by the Albanese government in 2022 had resulted in a surge in gambling, public drunkenness and alcohol related violence across trial sites.

Ceduna in the state’s far west was the first community in Australia to trial the CDC, which was established under the Coalition government in 2016, and quarantined 80% of a person’s welfare payments, only allowing 20 per cent in cash to be drawn out.

Wirangu man, Leeroy Bilney – one of two presiding members of the South Australian First Nations State Voice – told the Advertiser that it was time the SA Voice was used to hear from people affected by the CDC.

SA Voice member Leeroy Bilney said a more targeted approach was necessary making both people and services accountable. Picture: Supplied

A report, obtained through Freedom of Information laws, showed the abolition of the Cashless Debit Card in 2022 had resulted in a surge in gambling, public drunkenness and alcohol related violence across trial sites. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“If we really want to solve these issues, it’s going to take more than just a welfare card,” he said.

“The Voice is there and we need to be taking advantage of this opportunity and get back to the people to hear from them on the ground.

“We have to get a whole community who wants to be a part of the community, and that means Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people coming together to work out how we make this a better place.

“We need to make people accountable, the services accountable and we need a more targeted approach because it is only a small group of people (in Ceduna) who are doing the wrong thing.”

Former mayor of Ceduna, Allan Suter strongly advocated for the CDC being trialled in Ceduna in 2016, and told the Advertiser that the removal of it in 2022 has noticeably led to people struggling with addiction.

He said there needed to be improvement to the card if he was to support its return.

“If they tried to bring it back without improvements, I wouldn’t be anywhere near as supportive of it,” he said.

“I’m furious with Amanda Rishwirth because she constantly said on radio that there was no evidence while she sat on this report.”

Federal Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth said there were many “complex, intergenerational issues” across remote and rural Australia and that the federal government had invested in communities where the CDC has been abolished.

“There is a total of $174 million in Commonwealth funding for former Cashless Debit Card sites to empower and support communities,” she said.

“These are issues our Government works collaboratively on with state and territory governments to address,” she said.

“It’s important to note there are still a mix of views on the cessation of the card and the transition – including throughout this review.”

The CDC was rolled out to communities in the East Kimberley, Ceduna, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, Cape York and the Goldfields region.