cashless welfare cards do more harm than good
- Written by Greg Marston, Head of School, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland

The Australian government touts compulsory income management as a way to stop welfare payments being spent on alcohol, drugs or gambling.
The Howard government introduced the BasicsCard more than a decade ago. About 22,500 welfare recipients now use it, mostly in the Northern Territory. Now the Coalition government has big plans for a...