Compulsory income management will be scrapped if Labor wins election

Labor promises changes to the BasicsCard which impacts up to 23,000 Territorians. Find out their plans here:

UPDATE: Social servicess organisations have backed Labor’s plan to scrap compulsory basics cards if it wins the election on May 21.

According to Labor leader Anthony Albanese the Federal Government’s move to transition nearly 23,000 Territorians to a cashless debit card represents a “privatisation of the welfare system”.

Under the Labor income management would no longer be compulsory but rather option for people to choose.

NTCOSS chief executive Deb Di Natale said the Labor government’s announcement was welcomed.

“Compulsory income management is bad policy – it is a discriminatory and coercive policy, affecting more than 24,000 Territorians — the vast majority of whom are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” she said.

“Meaningful co-design and self-determination must be the cornerstone for any future policies and income management should only ever be offered on an opt-in basis.”

For almost two decades, compulsory income management has impacted remote communities.

Ms Di Natale said NTCOSS members had expressed how the cards had made it more difficult for people trying to leave domestic violence situations and the long-term impacts on people’s mental health.

“Only last year we saw Maningrida residents left without access to the essentials when the internet went down. People spent days without access to food, nappies, electricity, and petrol,” she said.

“We have heard cases where women haven’t been able to readily escape domestic violence, because they have their rent automatically paid from their quarantined income”

Ms Di Natale’s comments were echoed by Aboriginal Medical Alliance Services NT chief executive John Paterson.

“From AMSANT perspective we think the money used to administrate the program would be better put towards housing, employment and services — like members of NTCOSS who can deliver services that have real impact,” he said.

“The cards were a typical top-down government program that disempowered our mob…that’s not what we want, we want our mob to be empowered.”

The cards were originally introduced under the Liberal Howard government’s 2007 intervention, and continued under the Labor Gillard government’s Stronger Futures Bill in 2013.

The basics card and cashless debit cards automatically deduct up to 80 per cent of person’s Centrelink payment.

On Wednesday Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Coalition was trying to “help vulnerable communities manage their income”.

EARLIER: THE Government has taken aim at Luke Gosling on the lack of action around a taskforce promised to put Northern Australia on the global map three years ago.

But the Solomon MP has hit back at criticism, saying he was “very proud” of the work he had contributed to the taskforce, including a report produced at the end of 2020.

The Regional Trade Taskforce was announced following Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s 2019 election loss, with the plan to focus on the development of trade policies, especially with the Asia-Pacific Region.

Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Dan Tehan said the fact that there was no mention of the taskforce in the media or on Mr Gosling’s website reflected poorly on the Member for Solomon.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan. Picture: Supplied Andrew Campbell

He called the taskforce a “gimmick” that had done nothing to improve the lives of Territorians.

“Labor promised the world to Territorians and they have every right to feel ripped off by this stunt,” he said.

“Unlike Labor who delivered nothing, the Morrison Government has spent the past three years working to secure new and exciting trade opportunities for the Top End’s booming resources industry.”

However, Mr Gosling said the 2020 report would inform an incoming Labor government’s Indo-Pacific policies if elected in May.

“The Taskforce consulted with dozens of trade groups, economists, businesses, Asia specialists, academics and legal bodies around the country to build a comprehensive picture of Australia’s trade and investment relationships and how it could be strengthened and improved,” he said.

Member for Solomon Luke Gosling speaking at a press conference in the Darwin CBD. Picture: Floss Adams.

“Trade is about more than free trade agreements, as important as they are. We want to continue to build relationships between our business community and the region.”

Mr Gosling said the taskforce made 13 recommendations to the party’s senior leadership team.

“They continue to build Labor’s foreign policy and trade platforms, confirming the need for the Federal Government to do more on reducing non-tariff trade restrictions,” he said.

“The diversification of Australia’s trade portfolio has been a longstanding national issue largely ignored by the Government for close to a decade.”

Mr Tehan said the Morrison Government’s free trade agreement with India would “ensure the NT gets a slice of $14.8bn in new trade opportunities across the country each year”.

Funding for NT projects ‘not just a frolic’, Barnaby says

DEPUTY Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has stressed the Coalition government has a plan for the Northern Territory, saying its outback region will not be forgotten.

A slew of funding announcements were dished out by Mr Joyce and his Coalition colleagues on Wednesday, targeting the Territory’s health, infrastructure and tourism industries.

Speaking in Alice Springs, Mr Joyce earmarked $440m for new logistics hubs across the Territory to help unlock the region’s resources and boost its exports.

“It’s not just a frolic,” said the Nationals Leader, explaining the decision behind the investment. “They’ve got critical minerals down here … You need (critical minerals) for your phone, you need it for nuclear submarines, you need it for so much of what you do today.

“We’re making our nation stronger.”

The new hubs are planned for Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Katherine, and will support commodities such critical minerals and gas in reaching their final destination faster.

Mr Joyce said the array of election promises, which predominantly benefit the marginal seat of Lingiari, were not “arbitrary investments”.

“It’s a planned investment,” he said.

“A plan for the nation that takes into account the Alice, that takes into account the Territory, that understands agriculture (and) tourism.”

Barnaby Joyce has stressed that the Coalition government has a plan for the Northern Territory Picture: Lee Robinson.

The Deputy Prime Minister announced the funding at the Old Quarry with Northern Australia Minister David Littleproud, the CLP’s Senate candidate Jacinta Price and Lingiari candidate Damien Ryan, as well as Matt Paterson, the Alice Springs mayor.

Mr Littleproud announced a $900,000 budget measure to support two projects in the Lingiari electorate.

The funding will go towards the purchase of a new aircraft for an aerial mustering company, while an Alice Springs tourism operator will receive more than $300,000 for new equipment including passenger coaches and storage containers.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Littleproud announced – on behalf of the absent Regional Health Minister – that Tennant Creek and Mutitjulu would be listed as targeted GP recruitment locations, which would provide young doctors wage support while living in the two remote townships.

The wage funding aims to encourage more young doctors to take up rural and remote GP work, and ensure they have adequate support and education to get their medical college fellowship.

A slew of funding announcements were dished out by Mr Joyce and his Coalition colleagues on Wednesday, targeting the Territory’s health, infrastructure and tourism industries. Picture: Lee Robinson.

Federal Labor has backed the Coalition’s $1.5bn plan to build new port facilities in Darwin, as campaigning for the Territory’s two seats – Solomon and Lingiari – heats up.

Mr Joyce has pushed a “nation building” message in the early days of the government’s election bid, with the two Territory seats key targets for the Coalition.

In a wide-ranging address on Wednesday, the Deputy Prime Minister conceded that some regional infrastructure projects had not yet been approved by law, but said they would go ahead unless Labor made an out-of-character bid to block the Budget.

He said Labor had “gotten confused” and had failed to provide a response to key funding projects in response to the Coalition’s Budget.

“I don’t quite know where the Labor Party are,” he said.

“It’s not like it’s a surprise — we’ve seen this coming, we’ve had the Budget, we’ve had the discussions, we’re still waiting for the decision.

“We’re talking about looking after the people of Central Australia, this is fair dinkum looking after them, whether it’s health in Tennant Creek, whether it’s infrastructure here (in Alice Springs).”

Labor’s Luke Gosling holds Solomon by 3.1 per cent while Warren Snowdon has held Lingiari by 5.5 per cent, but is retiring at the upcoming election.

Originally published as Compulsory income management will be scrapped if Labor wins election