Media Release
28 July 2010
Income management expansion unacceptable: Greens
The Australian Greens have criticised Tony Abbott’s announcement that a
Liberal Government would consider a nationwide expansion of income
management.
Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson for Community Affairs today
said the Greens are the only party who have consistently opposed income
management, doing so since it was introduced as part of the 2007
Northern Territory Intervention.
“When these income management laws passed through the Senate, the Greens
made it perfectly clear that the current or any future Government could
force these measures on communities across the country,” Senator Rachel
Siewert said today.
“As the laws stand today, income quarantining can be applied to any
place in Australia that the Government decides is disadvantaged, and
anyone on related Centrelink payments will be affected,” Senator Siewert
said.
“It is totally misleading to claim that indiscriminate and mandatory
income management has anything to do with dignity or anything to do with
reducing dependence on income support.
“Income management doesn’t work and Mr Abbott should go and review the
evidence and develop a more compassionate policy that helps the
disadvantaged in our community.
“This passed through the Parliament with little public awareness and the
only voice of opposition was the Greens.
“Income management is degrading and punitive and should be abandoned,”
Senator Siewert concluded.
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