A key senator has sounded the death knell for the cashless debit card by supporting the government’s push to scrap it.
The cashless debit card quarantines up to 80 percent of a welfare recipient’s income which cannot be withdrawn in cash or spent on gambling or alcohol.
Independent senator David Pocock says he has listened to the stories and evidence from communities affected by the card.
He then came to the conclusion compulsory income management in any form had to be scrapped.
But voluntary income management still needs to be made available for those who want it, he said.
Senator Pocock called the bill a “first step” and acknowledged it did not scrap all compulsory measures….