So I'm writing my thesis proposal, and it's on income support policy in Australia (mainly the BasicsCard) and the discourse that surrounds it. It's a policy that's been rolling out over the past year and a half, and the Federal government is continuing to support. If there was ever a reason to believe that the Australian 'dole bludger' mentality has dominated policy making (as opposed to actual policy outcomes), this is the policy that exemplifies it.
This is a list of the organisations opposed to the policy:
• Arab Council Australia Inc • Association of Bhanin El-Minieh • Australian Arab Business Network • Australian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance • Australian Services Union • Australian Workers Union • Australian Workers Union, Port Kembla Branch • Bankstown Area Multicultural Network • Bankstown Community Resource Group • Bankstown Women’s Health Centre • Cabramatta Community Centre • CatholicCare • Combined Pensioners and Superannuants of NSW • Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, NSW Branch • Council of Social Service of NSW • Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation • Ethnic Child Care Family and Community Services Co-op • Ethnic Communities Council of NSW • Finance Sector Union NSW/ACT Branch • Fairfield Local Aboriginal Access Group • Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia • Gandangara Local Aboriginal Council • Granville Multicultural Community Centre • Greek Orthodox Community of NSW • Greenacre Area Neighbourood Centre Inc • Green Left Weekly • Immigration Advocacy and Services Network • Inner South-West Community Development Organisation Ltd • Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, Research Unit (UTS) • Lebanese Community Council of NSW • Lebanese Moslem Association • Maritime Union of Australia, Sydney Branch • Metro Migrant Resource Centre • National Association of Community Legal Centres Inc • National Tertiary Education Union, NSW • National Union of Workers • Network of Immigrant and Refugee Women of Australia Inc • NSW Nurses Association • NSW Women’s Refuge Movement • Olivetree Women’s Network • Pacific Island Women Advisory Support Service • Presentation Sisters Queensland • Public Service Association NSW • Reconciliation for Western Sydney • Search Foundation • St Vincent De Paul National Council of Australia • Sisters of St Joseph SA Reconciliation Circle • Society of Australian Presentation Sisters’ Justice group • South West Community Legal Centre • Stop the Intervention Collective • Tenants Union of NSW • Tri Community Exchange • United Muslim Women Association • United Services Union • UnitedVoice • UnitingCare NSW.ACT • Unions NSW • Welfare Rights Centre, Sydney • Western Sydney Community Forum • Western Sydney Regional Information & Research Service (WESTIR) • Woodville Community Services • Women’s Electoral Lobby (NSW) Inc. • Working Group for Aboriginal Rights, Canberra In addition:
The NSW branch of the ALP passed a motion opposing it (it was originally a Federal ALP policy)
Department of Community Services workers in Bankstown refuse to refer people to it
Even the Parliamentary Memo assessing its effectiveness says it's inconclusive at best.
The admin costs to implement it are approximately $5000 per person per year, which could be spent on actually helpful policies
Policy making should be about what works, not flawed perceptions of why people are on welfare, or an attempt to appease the misconceptions that dominant the attitude the majority of Australians have to people on welfare.