The Wire

Welfare and indigenous groups have condemned the federal oppositions plan to extend the idea of so called “welfare quarantining”. The Shadow minister for indigenous affairs Tony Abbott says all welfare recipients who have children, should have half their payments set aside for food and rent. Under the Northern Territory intervention this scheme is already underway in more than 70 aboriginal communities. Half of these welfare payments are provided as food vouchers and can’t be used to buy things like alcohol or cigarettes. Now Tony Abbott wants this controversial approach adopted nationwide and applied to non aboriginal families.