During the 2022 federal election the Labor Party pledged to scrap the so‑called Cashless Debit Card and to make the BasicsCard voluntary for anyone who chooses it. Yet more than 24,000 Territorians are still on the BasicsCard, and about 82 % of those subject to compulsory income management are Indigenous.

Aboriginal groups and the Central Land Council say the scheme is discriminatory and lacks proof of benefit. CLC general manager Josie Douglas told ABC that the organisation has been “long opposed” to compulsory income management and warned that “removing the self‑repeal dates … means residents will remain under income management for the next 10 years.”

Social‑policy researcher Elise Klein added that peer‑reviewed studies show the system causes harm and that the federal budget earmarks more than $200 million for income‑management arrangements over the next five years, followed by about $50 million thereafter.

The Community Affairs References Committee will examine the legislative changes on 18 September, giving parliament a chance to question whether the extension respects the election promise and the rights of Indigenous Australians.