Last week, Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forest announced his plans to introduce a new ‘health welfare card’ that would prohibit benefits recipients from using their money to gamble or purchase alcohol. As expected, the idea is quite controversial as residents are split in their support. A poll carried out by Perth Now shows that residents are not entirely in support of the proposed health welfare cards.

While 48.21% believe that people on welfare should be banned from spending their money on gambling and alcohol, 34.51% believe that they should be able to spend their money however they choose. 17.28% state that they need some guidance on how to spend their money but should not be completely controlled. Twiggy’s plan will create welfare cards that are linked directly to the user’s bank account.

They will only be able to purchase essential items, and the card cannot be used to buy alcohol or to gamble on pokies, casino games or the lottery. He believe that this will encourage individuals on welfare to look after the essential expenses and take care of their families with the money they receive from the government.

While many respondents have shown their support for the plan, opponents have been very vocal in making their criticisms known. Many residents believe that the plan is a waste of money and that government funds could be better spent on job training. “It will increase Australia's welfare costs by more than one third again. Controlling how people spend their benefits has been proven to be unsuccessful,” says one commenter, Amanda.

“What would it achieve? For those families dealing with a parent who has addiction problems it can be a god send but for all other families (the majority) it'll be a waste of the taxpayer's money”. Others are concerned that the plan simply won’t work, as welfare recipients could sell their ‘essentials’ and use the profits to buy alcohol.

Still, more opponents simply do not like the idea of the government controlling how anyone spends their money – and, many welfare recipients are offended that it is assumed that they would choose to use their benefits to buy alcohol or fund a gambling habit.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.