Income management
The first evaluation report of the impact of Income Management asserts that it has demonstrated an ‘early indication of strong positive results from stores licensing and income management.’ (p.1)10 However this is based only on phone interviews with 20 store operators. It does not include any quantitative data about store turnover, in particular about what is being purchased in these stores.
Menzies has developed a very useful tool as part of the Remote Indigenous Stores and Takeaways (RIST) project, that can answer questions about what is being purchased in these stores. Using the sales of indicator items, it can answer whether there has been an increase or decrease in more nutritious food choices. This tool is starting to be used in many remote Indigenous communities in the NT, WA and Queensland. It is also being used as part of the evaluation of Arnhemland Progress Association’s (ALPA) electronic food card. The ALPA food card differs from NT Emergency Response Income Management in that it followed extensive community consultation and piloting, included the Menzies evaluation, did not allow the purchase of some unhealthy foods (e.g. sweet soft drinks, which can still be purchased using NT Emergency Response quarantined funds) and, most importantly, was to be entirely voluntary (rather than the mandatory quarantining in the NT Emergency Response).
Similarly, Menzies is monitoring sales of tobacco in stores and takeaways in remote Aboriginal communities. This project uses sales or wholesale invoices of tobacco products to monitor trends in tobacco consumption. NT Emergency Response quarantined funds cannot be spent on tobacco. Importantly, the Menzies project includes all outlets selling tobacco in these communities. The assessment of the impact of Income Management must also examine other outlets, not just those licensed to participate in Income Management.
The initial monitoring report also excludes the views of Aboriginal residents whose income is being quarantined, and only reports what store operators think the impact is on these community members. Many have expressed concerns about the possible negative impacts (e.g. humiliation, disempowerment) of the NT Emergency Response and mandatory income management on the many responsible Aboriginal families.11 These impacts can only be explored by interviewing the affected Aboriginal residents themselves.
10. Northern Territory National Emergency Response (NTER). Stores Post Licensing Monitoring Report -Early Indications of Impact of Income Management in Community Stores -First 20 stores. (Available at: http://www.facsia.gov.au/nter/docs/reports/monitoring_report.htm, Accessed 12 August 2008).
11. A Brown, N J Brown. The Northern Territory intervention: voices from the centre of the fringe. MJA 2007; 187 (11/12): 621-623