"Malcolm Turnbull's claims that the further rollout of the cashless welfare card is about 'practical love' is nonsense, this is about control", Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.  

"The card quarantines the income of people accessing a working age payment in the trial areas, that includes the Carers Payment, Disability Support Pension, Youth Allowance and Newstart. 

"It takes agency from those who live on a shoestring budget who need to carefully manage their income. 

The announcement by the Prime Minister today confirming that the Goldfields will be the next trial site for the cashless welfare card is extremely disappointing. It imposes income management on people on income support in the region, taking control and agency. 

“I am concerned about the impacts this will have on people in the Goldfields community, particularly those on a working age payment who are on a shoestring budget and cannot afford to have their income quarantined against their will" Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today. 

The Australian Greens welcome a letter from nearly a thousand doctors, nurses and health advocates calling on the Turnbull Government to dump plans to drug test income support recipients, with resources instead directed to treatment and wrap around services. 

“This letter confirms what we have been hearing from health professionals and advocates already – that the proposed measure is going to do more harm than good and will hurt those struggling with addiction”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today. 

Premier Mark McGowan should follow in the footsteps of the Labor Victorian Government and refuse to cooperate with the Turnbull Government's plan to drug test income support recipients in WA. 

"Drug testing income support recipients has been proved overseas to be an expensive and unsuccessful measure. Drug testing will demonise and isolate people struggling with drug addiction and has been overwhelmingly rejected by experts on drug and alcohol addiction", Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.  

Drug testing members of the community in Canterbury-Bankstown who are trying to access income support demonises and isolates the people they target and could further entrench poverty, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“Drug testing people trying to access income support recipients is designed more to appeal to the Turnbull Government’s conservative base than actually address the issue of drug addiction.

“Overseas experience shows that it is a very costly and ineffective measure that does not reduce addiction.

Crimes statistics indicate a significant increase in robbery and threatening behaviour in Kununurra since the cashless welfare card trial was introduced in the community, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.   

“In figures provided by the WA police we have seen a marked increase in non-aggravated robbery offences, theft, and threatening behaviour in the period that the card was introduced.

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert has welcomed City of Yarra getting behind changing the date for Australia Day, with citizenship ceremonies moved to another day and the council not referring to January 26 as Australia Day.

“Our First Australians have been saying for a long time that January 26 is a day of pain because it is historically the day of invasion.
“The Federal Government has forced local councils to take matters into their own hands because they are terrified of moving the day so that all are included in celebrating wonderful Australia.

Senior members of the Catholic Church signalling they would oppose priests being forced to reveal cases of child sexual abuse admitted during confession shows an astounding disregard for child safety and for the rights of survivors of abuse.

“How disgusting to prioritise a ‘fundamental part of freedom of religion’ over ensuring the safety of children”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert today.

The Senate has today voted against an increase to the woefully low Newstart and Youth Allowance payments by $110 a fortnight.

“I’m extremely disappointed that the Senate did not support my Bill to increase Newstart by $110 a fortnight. It is well recognised that the payment is too low”, Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“I’m also very frustrated that the Labor party today sided with the Government to vote against an increase of the woefully low and stagnated Newstart and Youth Allowance payments by $110 fortnight.   

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert has welcomed commencement of discussions with the Federal Government over funding for a Custody Notification Service (CNS). 

“I'm very pleased to see the WA Attorney General’s interest in introducing a Custody Notification Service (CNS) in WA to drive down Aboriginal deaths in custody in the state”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today. 

“The Custody Notification Service operating in NSW has effectively stopped Aboriginal deaths in custody in New South Wales (NSW) since implementation in 2000.