The Federal Government’s cashless welfare card trials’ effectiveness is unreliable according to a report by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO).
In 2016, welfare recipients in parts of Western and South Australia were given cashless debit cards in an attempt to reduce alcohol, gambling and drug misuse.
80 percent of a person’s Centrelink allowance is placed on the card and is only to be used for essential items.
The report said it was “difficult to conclude” whether there had been a reduction in social harm as there was a “lack of robustness in data collection”, such as missing data from hospital admission figures.