WEL’s Submission to the Senate’s Inquiry into Changes in the Social Security System following on the Northern Territory Emergency Response Legislation

 The Howard government’s justification for the original Northern Territory Emergency Response was based substantially on the presumption that it would protect women and children from violence and abuse in the designated communities. The current Government’s justification for extending some measures puts similar arguments.WEL ‘s submission focusses on whether the proposed measures will enhance, reduce or otherwise affect the well being of women and the children in their care.

WEL’s recommends that:

1. The Racial Discrimination Act must be reinstated because, like sex discrimination, it is not appropriate to target particular populations for negative treatment, even if claimed to be for their own good;
2. The current legislation that imposes income management in declared NT areas should be withdrawn;
3. That legislation that proposes extension of Income Management on any broad based post code or other area identification system should be withdrawn; 
4. That the Senate Committee should extend its current review to examine any evidence for the following assumptions in this legislation and the Government’s social exclusion policy that:
   1. Income Management protects the well being of women and children in both the short and long term
   2. Most recipients of certain types of benefits in certain locations are widely dysfunctional
   3. In particular, most sole parents in low income areas are not functioning well as parents while on benefits
   4. Indigenous violence and now presumably non-Indigenous violence can be corrected by income management.
   5. Income quaranting is an appropriate policy to remedy social dysfunction
   6. There is evidence the Intervention has improved the situation of women and children in prescribed communities.  

 A copy of the full submission can be found here.