Bill
Social Security Legislation Amendment (Debit Card Trial) Bill 2015
passed, as at 2015-11-12. Social Services portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Social Services
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2015-08-19
- second reading — 2015-08-19
- second reading — 2015-09-15
- second reading — 2015-09-15
- third reading — 2015-09-15
- introduced — 2015-09-16
- second reading — 2015-09-16
- second reading — 2015-10-13
- second reading — 2015-10-14
- second reading — 2015-10-14
- committee — 2015-10-14
- third reading — 2015-10-14
- third reading — 2015-10-14
- passed — 2015-10-14
- royal assent — 2015-11-12
Divisions
- Bills — Social Security Legislation Amendment (Debit Card Trial) Bill 2015; Second Reading — 2015-10-14, Senate: affirmative, ayes 38, noes 10
- Bills — Social Security Legislation Amendment (Debit Card Trial) Bill 2015; Third Reading — 2015-10-14, Senate: affirmative, ayes 37, noes 10
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2015-08-19.
The bill would create a trial of welfare payments issued through a debit card that cannot be used for cash, alcohol, gambling or illegal drugs.
Eighty percent of a person's working-age welfare payment would go into a restricted bank account, with the remaining 20 percent available for cash and other spending.
The trial would run in up to three locations chosen for high welfare dependence and harm from alcohol, gambling or drugs.
- Amends social security law to enable a trial of cashless welfare arrangements.
- Requires 80 percent of working-age welfare payments to be placed in a restricted bank account.
- Bans the use of the debit card for cash withdrawals, alcohol, gambling products and illegal drugs.
- Allows 20 percent of payments to be used at the person's discretion.
- Limits the trial to up to three locations with high welfare dependence and harm from substance abuse or gambling.
People receiving working-age welfare payments such as newstart allowance in trial locations.
Sources
em
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frl act