Cashless Debit Card

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:50): Supplementary: does the minister believe that the community will welcome the ability to be able to buy a raffle ticket for their children's school fundraisers or participate in the cash economy, which allows them to buy second-hand goods locally rather than have to have everything approved and bought new through the current system?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:50): I thank the honourable member for her supplementary question. Yes, I think there will be many members of the community who do welcome that. I have heard stories, for example, at Yalata community, which is about an hour or so the other side, the Western Australia side, of Ceduna, where for junior sports carnivals and other events people haven't been able to buy food at those because the cashless debit card isn't taken.

Having said that, I do acknowledge there are members of the community who, for various reasons, would choose to continue voluntarily to be on the cashless debit card. There are differing views and differing reasons why people see a benefit, but certainly that autonomy that it restricts has been raised with me a number of times over a number of years.