Trial starts in the Ceduna region

The first cashless welfare debit cards have been issued as part of a trial in Ceduna aimed at reducing welfare fuelled alcohol, drug and gambling abuse.

Co-designed with community leaders, the trial involves the allocation of a cashless debit card to all working age income support recipients, along with additional drug and alcohol and other services.

Under the trial, 80 per cent of welfare payments are placed onto a recipient’s card, with the remaining 20 per cent going into their regular bank account.

The card looks like any other debit card and will work everywhere debit cards are accepted, but it will not work to buy alcohol, gamble or withdraw cash.

The trial will commence in the Kununurra and Wyndham regions from 26 April 2016.

Read the Ministerial announcement...

Community-wide consultation
Staff from across the Department have been consulting extensively with stakeholders in the Ceduna region of South Australia, and in Kununurra and Wyndham in Western Australia in the lead up to the launch of the Cashless Debit Card Trial.

Our staff have travelled to remote locations in the Ceduna, Kununurra and Wyndham regions to consult with locals, community leaders, service providers and businesses about the trial.

Feedback received through the consultation process is being used to further shape the policy and implementation design.

The Department has taken a strong lead in the service delivery aspect of the trial. To support this work, our staff are hosting a range of information sessions, alongside colleagues from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Support and connectivity
Over a million dollars of additional services have been put in place in preparation for the trial. This includes additional drug and alcohol services, a 24/7 mobile outreach and financial counselling.

The Government has also provided $127,000 for telecommunications infrastructure for the outlying communities in the Ceduna region. This infrastructure will allow some remote communities to connect to the internet for the first time, and will improve connectivity for other communities.