Welfare quarantine rules may be eased
Thursday, April 17th, 2008Patricia Karvelas; 17/4/08
The forced quarantining of welfare in the Northern Territory should be relaxed in the next phase of the commonwealth takeover so indigenous people who spend their money responsibly can control their payments, according to Intervention Taskforce head Sue Gordon. Under the current rules, 50 per cent of welfare income is quarantined by the Government and can be spent only on items such as food, clothing, rent and other essential items. But Dr Gordon, the taskforce chairwoman who has long advocated that a tough approach be taken, says that after 12 months the “one size fits all” approach needs adjustment. She told The Australian she still believed quarantining should be kept, but not for all people.
