SA DIVISION – Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (AUWU)

Report into South Australian Regional Road Trip : August 2018 Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (SA Division)

Prepared on behalf of AUWU by Hayden Patterson – National Branch Coordinator – [email protected]

Published by Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (AUWU) 17 January 2019 ABN 12 631 338 017 POSTAL ADDRESS : PO BOX 573 GOODWOOD 5034 WEBSITE : www.unemployedworkersunion.com EMAIL : [email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or sections in a review. Some sections have been reproduced with permission from other publishers; for reproduction please contact original publishers. Every attempt has been made to contact individuals included in photographs in this book and to gain permission for their use.

Written and edited by : Members of the AUWU : Hayden Patterson, Jeremy Poxon, Peter Pav, David Pav and Janice Lee (Janice Lee is also a researcher from the School of Regulation and Global Governance, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University.).

Written with support from the Secretariat of the Accountable Income Management Network.

This project was funded by the AUWU, donations from members, friends and supporters of the AUWU through a specifically, dedicated fundraising campaign run by volunteer members of the SA Division of the AUWU. TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 2 ACRONYMS & DEFINITIONS ...... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 3 INTRODUCTION...... 4 1. COMPULSORY INCOME MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIA...... 6 2. THE CASHLESS DEBIT CARD IN CEDUNA ...... 8 3. WHAT DID WE DO? ...... 10 4. KEY FINDINGS ...... 12 5. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 15 APPENDIX A: PRELIMINARY REPORT (AUGUST 2018) ...... 19 APPENDIX B: SURVEY AND INTERVIEW INFORMATION ...... 20 APPENDIX C: LIST OF COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS CONSULTED ...... 22 APPENDIX D: MEDIA COVERAGE ...... 23 APPENDIX E: TESTIMONIAL FROM A CEDUNA RESIDENT ...... 24

PAGE 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Authors of this report wish to acknowledge the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (AUWU), its members, friends and supporters who specifically donated to the fundraising campaign for this endeavor. They also wish to acknowledge the community members of Ceduna, and the surrounding areas of the far South Western Coastal towns of South Australia for offering their time to be interviewed, recorded, and offering their personal stories and experiences to be memorialised as part of a collective representation of unemployed/underemployed Australians living within vulnerable circumstances who receive some form of income support payments. Thanks also to the planning committee, researchers, and the Adelaide AUWU members and volunteers who generously gave their time, and more to join with the volunteers of the and Ceduna Branches of the AUWU in solidarity, and speak to as many community members, organisations and representatives and get a real and current understanding about Compulsory Income Management which has been trialed and expanded in various programs throughout Australia since 2007. The AUWU would like to thank the Maritime Union of Australia – SA Branch, and the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union – SA Branch for attending each regional town stop and support.

ACRONYMS & DEFINITIONS

ABS – Australian Bureau of Statistics ACOSS – Australian Council of Social Services AIMN – Accountable Income Management Network APNSA – Anti-Poverty Network AUWU – Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union CAC – Ceduna Aboriginal Corporation CALD – Culturally and Linguistically Diverse CC