Evidence Disputes NT Intervention

It's been almost three years since Indigenous welfare has been quarantined under the Federal Government's Northern Territory Intervention into remote Indigenous communities. This has seen at least 50% of all Indigenous welfare recipient's income put onto a BasicsCard that can only be spent on designated items in designated stores.

Of course, there is a strong human rights argument against quarantining Indigenous welfare. It contravenes international rights to non-discrimination. Consequently, the Racial Discrimination Act (that protects the right to non-racial discrimination) had to be suspended to allow the passage of the legislation.

However, today we also have an empirical study that has found that welfare quarantining has NOT resulted in healthier eating choices by Indigenous people. Evidence suggests the Intervention is not working, and yet the Federal Government intends to expand welfare quarantining later this year. This reveals that the policy is more about the racial ideology of paternalism rather than healthier outcomes for Indigenous communities.

See article by authors of study on food choices before and after the Intervention:

http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/05/17/income-management-isnt-working-and-macklins-twisting-the-truth/