Pitt slams federal opposition leader after he says he would scrap Cashless Debit Card

The MP slammed Mr Albanese after he stated in a radio interview this week that Labor would scrap the Cashless Debit Card if elected.

A radio interview from Federal Labor Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has sparked a war of words with Hinkler MP Keith Pitt.

The MP slammed Mr Albanese after he stated in a radio interview this week that Labor would scrap the Cashless Debit Card if elected.

Mr Albanese told Sydney radio station 2SM last week the card represented a type of “privatisation” of the welfare system.

He also argued the government’s “own studies and reports showed that it doesn’t work”.

Host Marcus Paul asked: “So just to be clear, if elected, Labor would scrap the Indue card?”

The opposition leader replied: “Absolutely.”

The government last year proposed making the card trial sites in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland permanent, and moving the Northern Territory from the government-run basics card, to the cashless debit card, which is operated by the financial services company Indue.

“Each-way Albo has become no-way Albo. What’s very clear is Labor’s position is to do nothing” Mr Pitt said in response to Mr Albanese’s words.

“If the Cashless Debit Card was stopped, it would mean no way to support kids who are missing out on the essentials of life, and no way to try and ensure that the support provided by the taxpayer is not wasted on gambling or alcohol.

“The Cashless Debit Card has been strongly supported, right across the electorate, it’s made a real difference, we intend for it to continue, the Labor Party and each-way Albanese is looking to cancel it.

“Everything I’ve seen locally is very supportive, we know that the Cashless Debit Card works, we know that it makes a difference, we know that it supports people who find themselves in difficult circumstances. That’s the feedback we’ve got from any number of frontline service providers.

“It’s a tool in the toolkit, we’ve never claimed it’s a silver bullet solution to the challenges we have, but it makes a difference across our region and that’s why I’ve been so supportive.

“The Cashless Debit Card is a real change in terms of the level of technology, provided and is substantially different to the Basics Card, it is far more advanced and far better supported. Anthony Albanese is out there saying no way, no way to doing things that work.

“This is about actually doing something, each-way Albanese, his solution is to do nothing.”

The scheme – which quarantines up to 80 per cent of a person’s welfare payments on to a card with which one cannot withdraw cash or buy alcohol – was extended for two years in December, after the government failed to win support to make it permanent in four sites.

Labor opposed moves to extend the trials at the time, saying there was no hard evidence the card reduced social harm, as was claimed, while some of the party’s most vocal critics, such as the Northern Territory senator Malarndirri McCarthy, have labelled it “racist” and “unjust”.