Abolish the Indue cashless welfare card
There's no two ways about it – the Indue cashless welfare card is a disgraceful attack against unemployed people.
People who are forced onto this card can only use it with certain vendors, and have no financial control over their money. The only people who benefit are the investors of the private company that runs this card, Indue Ltd.
And with cashless debit, it's always marginalised groups who are forced onto it – particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
With the Senate voting next week to extend the Indue cashless debit card trial – we have to make it clear that this card has no purpose other than humiliation and needs to be abolished immediately.
Can you sign this petition and demand that politicians vote against extending this trial – and work towards abolishing the card altogether?
People who are forced onto this card can only use it with certain vendors, and have no financial control over their money. The only people who benefit are the investors of the private company that runs this card, Indue Ltd.
And with cashless debit, it's always marginalised groups who are forced onto it – particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
With the Senate voting next week to extend the Indue cashless debit card trial – we have to make it clear that this card has no purpose other than humiliation and needs to be abolished immediately.
Can you sign this petition and demand that politicians vote against extending this trial – and work towards abolishing the card altogether?
- There's no choice: People on the card have to purchase from certain stores – with most having no facilities to process payments. This means that unemployed people have no choice on where they buy their goods, even if it means not being able to buy special needs items like food for children with dietary needs.
- It's discriminatory: The Indue cashless welfare card – and the BasicsCard before it – were targeted to groups already discriminated against by the government, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from low socioeconomic areas.
- It causes stigma and shame: Imagine buying groceries and needing to stand in a separate line for Indue card holders, and the system shutting down as you try and buy food for your family. This happens to people forced onto cashless debit everyday. The lack of financial autonomy causes distress and shame for many unemployed people, and one reason we need to abolish the card.
- It's a handout to financial institutions: The Indue card is a privatised system that benefits investors in the system – and these private companies have an interest in keeping people unemployed. We should work towards investing public money into systems that benefit people, not keep them in cycles of poverty.
ADD YOUR NAME
To Parliament,
The Indue cashless welfare card humiliates and punishes unemployed people.
Do not extend the cashless welfare card trial – and immediately begin steps to abolish it entirely.
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