Cashless Debit Card

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Can the minister confirm if the federal government advised him or his office of the release of the report I asked him about yesterday, namely 'Review of the impact of the cessation of the cashless debit card', and if so, when was he or his office advised?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:05): I will double-check, but I am not aware of any advice we have received from the federal government. Since the question yesterday, I printed out a copy of the report and I have had a chance to flick through it. It's quite a thick report—I am guessing a hundred or so pages—if I am remembering correctly from the cover page, conducted by the University of Adelaide.

I note that much of the report deals with issues that relate to stakeholder and participant interviews and talks about the opinions and thoughts of those in relation and comparison to the cashless debit card in a number of regions across Australia, including the Ceduna area. I certainly will be examining the report more closely to understand the opinions that people have expressed about their views about the cessation of the cashless debit card.