Appendix One: Direct transcript of all survey comments by question
Q1: Do you like using store cards?
NO
#2 “I want cash. Its easier”
#3 “I don’t like because every time I get my money from Centrelink I only get $150 – I pay rent - it’s hard to pay it. All my family say how come you only have short money?”
#4 “I want to buy cigarettes”
#5 “Its like stealing my money. They think we’re careless.”
#6 “Waste of time – gotta come into Centrelink and some the shops don’t accept the cards. Centrelink said you could use them and it’s a lie. I can’t buy the things that they need. We’re not stupid; we know how to spend our money, just because we’re Aboriginal. Its really hard.”
#7 “they stopped my money from paying my bills [Centrepay]. Made it hard to make payments for furniture - food first then furniture"
#9 "Didn’t get any change – can’t access left overs money when spent – back to the 1960s – we are living in the 21st century, it shouldn’t be like this. Australia is a place for any race or nation
#10 "We have to wait in line a long time to use the store card – it’s frustrating. It’s hard for countrymen from other communities – one time a fella from out of town got to the designated shop, and there was no credit for him there
#11 “Single mum has to carry so many bags back on the bus. It’s too far to carry a week’s worth of groceries with a small child.”
#12 “cheque didn’t arrive” Sometimes the money is not available on time when it should be
#13 ‘“makes it wrong”
#15 “We can hunt for food“
#16 It’s OK for me, but not for our old pensioners, most of these people don’t have any key cards – there’s nothing else to do for them but they get the bus with all their food.
#17 “I want cash to spend with”
#18 “It’s like they are babysitting our money“
#19 “None for bus, taxis: we have to carry bags on the bus. Problems if the trolley goes over the card limit”
#21 “Indiscriminate”
#22 “It’s embarrassing and patronising”
#24 “Rather have cash. Sometimes, there’s not enough on the card. It’s embarrassing – it’s lumped on all aboriginal people”
#25 “It’s too restricting”
#27 “we don’t drink or smoke; need money for rent. Its not enough.”
#29 “Can't get fuel out of town so it's harder to travel and use cards. If you don’t have a car, hard to organise transport.”
#30 “Prefer money in my account. We have needs – paying for generator, use of vehicle, fuel and you cant pay for that with the store card. We live in the bush, 30 mins from Peppirementi and there is no Centrelink out there.
#32 “I don’t like anyone handling my money. I looked after 12 children with only child endowment”
#33 “When we wont something, they don’t support us mob – housing, DOCS – don’t give us money to help us. That’s why we stuck in the long grass”
#34 “I’ve got bills to pay and I can’t pay through the card. Have to use it at certain shops”
#35 “Hard for us to do shopping – if in hospital or visiting relatives in hospital, need to go in to get her signature”
#36 “Money gone – only get $200. Don’t get big money”
#37 “Not enough cash left over”
#43 “In Darwin: sort of, sort of not. Direct debit has been buggered up. In the community –wouldn’t want to spend half of my income at the store.”
YES
#7 “on the weekend. Can’t buy smoke”
#8 “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I buy my food and I share with other people, with the kids. I feed my kids and my family.”
#26 “It’s good for my partner’s family, money is saved for food”
#40 “I can go and get food by swiping it.”
#41 “Gives you some food and spending money”
Q2: Do you have any problems having only half your money in cash?5
YES
#1 no comments
#2 “can only use card at Casuarina. I don’t want to shop at Casuarina”
#3 “I wanna buy clothes – I hardly can get clothes. I wanna buy smoke but can’t get anything out of it. It’s shitty. The rest of my tribe are having problems”
#4 “I want to get cash”
#5 “I can’t buy enough things for myself. It makes it harder to work out money. Especially paying family back when they’ve lent me money.”
#6 "Not enough money for taxis, especially when do shopping, its hard. Need a taxi card. Hard with debit payments, for example at Chrisko’s not enough money in my account after debit payments I might end up with $50 or $100. For remote people it’s harder because they take out money for rent, bills. It’s hard to get tot a place to buy power cards. Its easier if you just have cash.”
#7 “Sometimes I like to buy my own food with my own money. Sometimes I don’t get any change – it happens a lot. I don’t know what they do with small amounts left on the card; you can't buy anything with $1.50."
#9 "Can’t save money – can’t invest – usually invest $50 fortnight, and can’t now – difficult to pay larger bills
#10 "It means we have to shop at Coles. So we do a week’s shopping
in one go. With no money for taxi, we have to carry groceries on bus
It’s harder for aged and disabled – if you say we have to shop
this way, give us vehicles!
#11 “Some old people have trouble with ID to access cards”
#15 “Can’t pay for car repairs. We do not need help to manage my money. I’m old enough to drink and smoke if I want to.”
#16 "There’s not enough monies to pay for our household items i.e. whitegoods and appliances
#17 “Not enough money. Centrepay was OKAY.”
#18 “It affects everything – can’t even send money for my kids in boarding school and other expenses apart from nominated stores”
#19 “Clothes. Other money missing from Centrelink payment (more than half)”
#20 “Son has a disability – needs help to use funds, but Centrelink has made it hard for his carer (mother) to get money to buy a pair of shoes. Niece’s child endowment for a new baby was held over for three months until the Income Management was in force.”
#22 “Not fair not to be able to manage our money”
#23 “It sucks – we’re back to mission days”
#24 “Not a good idea – treat everyone the same –discriminate. Can’t use the card at other places – no choice”
#25 “Going now native unacceptable. Not respecting culture. Can’t budget”
#26 “Not enough cash. I want my money in my pocket and in my bank account”
#27 “Not leaving enough for rent”
#28 “I haven’t even got kids. Visiting Daly, then back in town for court, paying taxi drivers.”
#30 Problems paying the phone bill.”
#31 “Community stores are not regulating prices.”
#32 “I take care of myself. I have no responsibilities. It’s racially discriminating.”
#33 “Need to get all the amount in our bank. Don’t want to use the card – come in everyday. Sometimes I lose the card, it’s a waste, lose the money and have no way to feed yourself”
#34 “Have two separate payments into two separate accounts and have deductions (direct debit), which stops me being able to manage my own money. So I’m in debt.”
#35 “Paying phone bills URGENT. Sick kids, need money so bill doesn’t get higher or house phone cut off.”
#36 “its hard – hard to get food, hard to use store cards”
#37 “Can’t buy clothes where I wants to for my kids. Can’t use the cards to buy cigarettes”
#41 “Have bills and the quarantining can make it hard. Its really confusing – if you have a large bill, most of your money is already gone.”
#42 “There is no money left in my pocket.”
#43 “Having half money in cash puts me in debit because of direct debits and not having enough cash money means that there has been penalty charges from the bank.”
NO
#8 “what’s left over I save it or play a game. I still always have that store card for food, cups, plates, and clothing. You can take a cheque to buy big things like a TV or bed at Good Guys or Bunnings.”
Q3: Have you had any problem with Centrelink when trying to get your store cards or cash?
YES
#2 “Too many things to pay for”
#3 “I always swear at Centrelink mob about this Income management. I can’t even get my grandmother money. I only get $150. Nothing left to help others. I should give my grandmother money because I stay with her.”
#4 “I want to do it monthly. I live in the bush and it’s to far to come every 2 weeks”
#5 “I couldn’t get the cards when I wanted to change which office to get the cards from.”
#6 “We have to wait a lot. Weekdays ok but weekends have to wait. It’s a waste of time.”
#8 “Sometimes when the cards get jammed or don’t work we have to come back in a couple of days.”
#27 “Centrelink are helpful, do give vouchers, but not equally divided, so struggling with rent”
#28 “Shop keeps changing, not great food”
#30 “For cash – you cant get money out of your key card, hard if you’re a smoker, you can only buy food.”
#32 “I don’t know what’s happened. From last pay its gone”
#33 “After 10pm, we sometimes go out and drink, and sometimes lose the card”
#34 “At Elcho Island had to wait 3 weeks for money to go into store cards. I have four kids to feed – I had to bludge off my mum.”
#35 “They don’t help. They cut your money; we get little money. They don’t explain –they don’t talk to us.”
#42 “waiting too long”
NO
(No comments)
Q4: Do you like going to Centrelink all the time for your money6?
NO
#1 no comments
#3 “I want everything in my account. I wanna go and stay at home. It takes one hour to get into Centrelink”
#4 “It make me sick. I don’t know how to describe it. Should be monthly than fortnightly. (I cant write so doing this form is hard.)”
#5 “Have to go to Centrelink then back home to the shops. We used to just walk up to the shops” “Cant use the cards for taxi’s”
#6 “People look at us, see us coming in all the time. I reckon it’s a big shame job this Income management.”
#7 “I prefer it to go into my account. I can pay my own bills. I don’t know why they got these cards, what this income management is for. No adequate explanation.”
#10 "It costs time."
#21 “Have to go to Centrelink at least once a week. That’s hard for older people with no transport choices”
#30 “Money should go into the account. No bank out there, we have vehicle problems, especially during the wet. We are stranded.”
#32 “I want it in my own hand. Do it myself!”
#33 “I want it in my account, it's easier. Especially on Sundays, it’s the worst day, we get starved.”
#34 “Before, they did it automatically. Now I have to come in everyday. I live 70kms out of Darwin and cant come in when I have no petrol.”
#36 “I want the money in my account. It makes it easier.”
#41 “I would prefer to get it through my bank account.”
#43 “going from community to Darwin and back again all the time”
YES
#2 “Centrelink can be helpful”
#9 "Procedure and regulation to follow, work for the dole or looking for a job. No Jobs available. We need to feed ourselves and our kids."
#42 “No money – better than sitting and drinking.”
Q5: Have the changes helped or caused any problems between you and your family?7
HELPED
#8 “I have money especially for food, for the little ones. We can buy them toys, clothing, nappies.”
CAUSED PROBLEMS
#3 “Every time everyone complain, ask “where’s your money, where’s your money?” I have to say I don’t have enough. I wanna go to Canberra and talk about it!” “I buy food for my grandmother. I buy everything and give it to her. Its hard to transport.”
#4 “when I buy, we already have food in the bush, but I want money for tobacco.”
#5 “There are arguments about paying back loans.” “My grandmother can’t get into Centrelink so it makes it harder for her.”
#6 “Makes it hard for transport. We don’t have transport to be coming back and forward. Its hard to get the shopping back home.”
#7 “Haven’t got enough money for my son because it goes onto the cards. If I want to buy videos for him, I gotta go to certain shops.”
#9 "We can’t spend the store card at our usual shop where we buy clothes. Some kids can’t have what they want (i.e. playstation) Kids have rights – they should be able to buy what they want
#10 "At first there were problems because some people didn’t understand
what was going on with their money.
Humbug still happens – now it’s humbug for vouchers.
#14 “Hardship through our families”
#15 “Trouble paying lump-sums (chucking in)“
#16 “We are helping our old people, to teach them how to use the cards, we go to Centrelink. This is very humiliating and unfair to the nations of aboriginal people in the northern territory.”
#17 “We do shopping at their favourite shop (Woolies) and the money is all spend and we come out of Woolies and we don’t have any money for fares to take the foods home. If you think we don’t need money, why not provide a government bus to get the groceries home?”
#18 “As above”
#22 “Only one person can use the card at a time”
#24 “Now I can’t send money to my 2 kids in school”
#25 “Can’t support our family – it makes it hard to feed”
#27 “Children are all grown up, just us, so no need for intervention”
#28 “Some drinkers want grog not food; more humbug”
#30 “When we were on CDEP, used to let us know about monies. We didn’t know about IM. They didn’t tell us. We told them before hoe much to go where. The should only take the amount we say.”
#34 “No food. Food at community is too expensive and $200 is not enough.”
#35 “Have to feed family in outstations; want tobacco. Money for plane to family. Money for plane to get medical needs and shopping.”
#41 “Caused more problems – eg going shopping you cant get the things you need.”
#43 “Problems with the direct debits and choice of food back on the island.”
NO CHANGE
#1 “Its normal like that. Its been happening for a few years”
#32 “Aged pensioners don’t support kids; but help if they are asked (12 kids, 35 grandkids)”
Q6a: What’s good about the Intervention and why?
#8 “Intervention is really good. Its helps everybody, the people who live in the house.”
#26 “Enough to feed myself”
#35 “not too sure”
#41 “Restricting alcohol and drugs in the community. It’s good for the community to feel safe because there are not so many drunk people. Alcohol is my main concern.”
Q6b: What’s bad about the Intervention and why?
#1 “Its Bad – Too much humbug for food”
#3 “I don’t like the intervention. Its up to no good. They run us down. Why do they talk about black people? Why don’t they talk about themselves? Its racist. Its no good.”
#4 “BAD. Why do people only get a form to fill in? I hate it. Why do we get f***ing voucher?”
#5 “It’s been bad. They think we’re stupid.”
#6 “Intervention is bad. It makes it hard for us. I get fed up coming in and out. Transport is a big thing for us.”
#7 “Intervention is bad. Nobody asked the community to be dry, most people go out and drink and it’s too dangerous. No one worries about the sign outside.” "A friend was sick who was on it (IM). The community store would have been easier but now she can’t go there."
#9 “Definitely don’t like it! Main reason - we feel that we are the first people to experience difficulty – people who do have problem with their money, that’s their problem – it’s not right that people spend their money proper way are punished. People should have freedom of choice to spend their money.” “We feel as the first peoples of Australia that it is like a communist country. Australia is a peaceful country where we should live in harmony and these changes under the intervention jeopardise that harmony.
Federal government said that all Aboriginal people are the same people – that they all smoke and drink and don’t look after their kids properly. Definitely a discrimination towards Aboriginal people and people who are living in the area – trying to get over what they want to be
Rehabilitation – everyone’s the same – it’s not certain races – we should be in the area where all Australians are treated fairly.
“Leave us alone Land rights is our future – it’s our identity. It’s been happening long time. It will be passed on to children. It will be there forever and ever!”
NT is not a part of England - Union Jack has not been placed on this country. Treat first Australian people fairly.
Children are taught at early ages – identity and culture are like going to school aboriginal way – ‘communication’”
#10 Yes we do have problems, but we can handle them. We certainly don’t abuse our kids! (Other comment: “Racism. Independence”)
#15 “Back to ration days”
#16 “This takes away the rights of aboriginal people. We are made to do what the government wants the people to do. This still is taking away the rights of our people.”
#17 “It has taken away our ways of spending money”
#18 “It has effected the payments from before. I used to pay Centrepay before, and it just made it more difficult”
#19 “We don’t drink, we don’t smoke.”
#20 “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke”
#22 “Going back to the old days”
#24 “Income management” (is the main objection)
#25 “They take away our way” “Would like to see better schooling and training certificates and diplomas, so they are recognised as the same as all other people, not discriminated against for being black. To run our community culture respect way, not dictated by government consultation”
#28 “Will get worse in the wet.”
#30 “The only good thing about it is a gift card if you don’t have money. If you didn’t have gift card, we would have money. Its not good that we don’t have the choice.”
#31 “No independence”
#32 “HORRIBLE – discriminatory – separating people apart. This is the same as the stolen generation. It is hurtful and shameful”
#33 “If I wanna buy something I wanna get it myself when I want to. I’m living in the long grass. I wanna get a place to stay, its cold. IM makes it harder for me. It’s hard with no money supporting yourself. I would like to have a place to stay for myself. I’ve been waiting for a long time for housing commission. I need proper facilities – to cook, a stove a shower.”
#34 “Intervention is good what they are doing for children - abuse and all that – but not everyone is doing it. It’s taking away someone’s freedom. Money side is private business.”
#41 “Nothing bad really, although it applies to people who can look after their money.”
#43 “Good for other ones whose parents are spending the money on grog – but feels like we’re being punished when we don’t drink or smoke. It makes us feel like little kids”
5. For responses #9-26 Was Q1: Do you have any problems only getting half your money?)
6. For responses #9-26 was Q3: Do you like going to Centrelink all the time for your monies?
7. For responses #9-26 was Q5: Have the changes caused any problems between you and your family?