Senate Inquiry a "hollow exercise" - NTCOSS Media Release

 

 

The Northern Territory Council of  Social Service has described the Senate Inquiry into the NTER intervention measures, tabled in federal parliament yesterday, as a ‘hollow exercise’.

 

“There is just not enough concrete evidence to show that income quarantining has improved people’s lives” Wendy Morton, Executive Director of the Northern Territory Council of Social Service said today.

 

“In our view, Minister Macklin has simply failed to demonstrate that income management in remote communities has been successful” said Ms Morton. “The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has cast serious doubt over the validity of the government’s recent consultation process. There is simply no justification for extending the income management regime.”

 

The Australian Government is proposing to spend a staggering $352 million at $4,400 per person per year simply to administer these new arrangements. “This is very poor use of taxpayer’s money, which could be employed much more effectively by providing people with better and more targeted literacy and financial support.” said Ms Morton.

 

“Results from Queensland’s Cape York trials show that what works is case management – the provision of help and advice - rather than income management” said Ms Morton. “Punitive measures aren’t producing results.”

 

NTCOSS also called for the full restoration of the Racial Discrimination Act. “We can’t support a watered-down version of Australia’s key human rights legislation” said Ms Morton. “The legislation must make it clear that the RDA prevails over the NTER laws. Currently, Indigenous Territorians are being treated as second class citizens.”

 

Crude measures such as the indiscriminate blanket quarantining of welfare income must be abandoned in favour of more enlightened policy settings. Vulnerable Territorians should not be denied recourse to the Racial Discrimination Act.

 

“If the Minister genuinely believes that this is good policy she should introduce it in Sydney and Melbourne, rather than using the people of the Northern Territory as guinea-pigs.” observed Ms Morton.