From July 1, more than 2,600 young people in Bankstown, the Northern
Territory and "trial sites" across Australia were placed
on income management under new measures which target youth in
vulnerable circumstances.
This includes:
• Children and young people deemed by Centrelink as no longer able to
live at home, and eligible for either the Special Benefit or the
Unreasonable to Live at Home payment.
• people under the age of 25 years who receive a Centrelink Crisis
Payment due to leaving prison.
Yesterday, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, which
includes both Labor and Liberal MPs, raised serious concerns that the
"Stronger Futures" package of laws, which allow for the expansion of
income management in the NT and across the country, was breaching
Australia's human rights obligations.
Pam Batkin, CEO of Woodville Community Services and spokesperson for
the Say No to Government Income Management Campaign Coalition said:
"We are gravely concerned about the impact this expansion will have on
some of the most vulnerable young people in our community. Those who
are unable to live at home are often fleeing family violence or abuse.
Amongst those leaving custody there are high levels of mental illness
and learning difficulties, they already have so many stresses in their
lives. Now they are going to be further stigmatised. Every time they
go shopping with a BasicsCard they will be marked as someone who is
unable to cope with their life".
"This undermines all the work that support services in the Bankstown
LGA have been doing with youth who are struggling. That's why workers
in child protection services here in NSW have placed bans on referring
people to income management. Front line workers across Australia have
taken a similar stand. Recent figures show only 32 compulsory
referrals across all the trial sites since July 1 2012, not the
thousands planned for by government. The government is now going
behind the backs of these workers and is pushing through automatic
placements".
Paddy Gibson is a Senior Researcher with the Jumbunna Indigenous House
of Learning at UTS and has worked closely with community leaders
campaigning against income management in both the NT and Bankstown. He
said that the government is refusing to listen to it's own evidence on
income management:
"Yesterday the bi-partisan Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human
Rights issued a report which confirmed what this campaign has been
saying for a long time - income management is discriminatory and
breaches fundamental human rights. Despite six years and almost $1
billion budgeted, the government has no evidence that overall this
program is improving the situation for families who are struggling".
"Young Aboriginal people in the NT have suffered enormously. The
governments own evaluation shows overwhelming feelings of
discrimination and shame. Youth suicide rates have increased 160% and
reported rates of self-harm are up more than five fold".
"Now marginalised youth in Bankstown are also set to be punished at an
astronomical administrative cost of between $4500-$7800 per person per
year on income management. From Bankstown to the bush we will continue
to campaign for funding to be redirected from income management to
badly needed for support services and job opportunities for youth who
are struggling"
Contact:
Pam Batkin 0417 230 580
Sue Gillett 0400 395 546
Paddy Gibson 0415 800 586
Say No to Government Income Management: Not in Bankstown, Not Anywhere
Say No to the expansion to marginalised youth