Malarndirri McCarthy warns of unintended consequences to CLP’s seven point wishlist
A plan to reform welfare payments in the Territory could have unintended consequences, the Commonwealth warns. Read why.
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A plan to reform welfare payments in the Northern Territory could have unintended consequences, the commonwealth warns, as it evades confirming or denying support for the Territory government’s seven point wishlist.
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy did not outright refuse the possibility for Centrelink reforms, but said changes to payments could result in more humbugging, may be unfair to pensioners, and needed community consultation.
“It’s a very complex situation,” Ms McCarthy told ABC Alice Springs.
“Are we talking about people with disability having their money on one day? Are we talking about veterans, carers? … If we move everybody completely, without having had that conversation with them, do you think that’s fair?”
Currently, Centrelink payments are spread over 10 days so only 10 per cent of residents are paid on any one day.
The coalition this week gave in principle support, if elected, to the Territory government’s wishlist aimed at improving community safety.
That included a request for Centrelink to be paid on a day when takeaway alcohol bans were in force.
Ms McCarthy said the commonwealth had briefed Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on its concerns, and a working group had been established.
Of the Territory government’s six other requests, the federal government has fulfilled only one: allowing police drones to operate in Alice Springs.
Ms McCarthy said the NT also already had existing power to quarantine part of the welfare paid to parents of youth offenders.
“We have been working in good faith with the Northern Territory government,” she said.
“We’ve been working on constructive solutions for Alice Springs, not playing politics.
“Once again Peter Dutton has no plan and no detail on how he would implement these changes suggested by the Northern Territory government.
“Our Central Australia Plan is a long term plan to improve the lives of people in Alice Springs and the region, and includes investments in community safety, health, training, and justice.
“We want to see further improvements in community safety, but there are things the Northern Territory government can do right now, including filling frontline positions the commonwealth has funded, and not changing alcohol unit price restrictions.”
Independent member for Araluen Robyn Lambley said she broadly supported the Territory government wishlist, particularly an audit of federal spending on Indigenous programs.
“I’m very much in support of a complete audit of where the enormous amount of federal funding we receive in Central Australia is going, from top to bottom,” she said.
“I question the politics of it – I think Labor generally buys votes by throwing money around … it possibly is well intended, but at the end of the day it’s about buying votes when the success of a lot of these programs has been questioned for many, many years.
“The coalition, if they get in, will challenge some of these practices and institutions that have been unaccountable for a very long time. It doesn’t mean stripping it back, it means strengthening it – hopefully.”
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