Is the cashless welfare card for pensioners a real thing or just a Labor MP having a rant?
Many times. That seems to be the hope of Labor backbencher Justine Elliot who has launched a social media campaign claiming that the Morrison government plans to introduce a cashless welfare card for pensioners. The MP For Richmond told her Facebook followers: If reelected, Scott Morrison will force pensioners on to the cashless welfare card. The plan will put 80% of your pension on a card that will limit what and where you can spend your own money.  She cites as evidence a statement from Senator Anne Ruston, Minister for Families and Social Services, saying the government was considering broadening use of the already highly controversial cashless debit card program (under which 80% of a persons welfare payments is quarantined on a card that cannot be used to withdraw cash or buy alcohol or gambling products). However, Ruston says the government has publicly ruled out ever requiring age pensioners to use the cashless debit card and characterises Elliots campaign as a social media rant. Its worth remembering that the original Mediscare was a campaign by Labor leading up to the 2016 federal election and based on a claim that a Liberal government would privatise Medicare. An Essential Media poll late in the campaign showed 50% of voters thought it likely the Liberal Party would attempt to privatise Medicare if it won the election, 34% said it was unlikely, and 17% did not know. Of those polled, 81% said privatising Medicare  as well as changing its current form  was cause for concern. Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was forced to declare that Medicare will never, ever, ever be privatised, which Labor counted as a success. The governments response was widely criticised for being too late and for allowing Labor to control the agenda. On the evidence so far it seems to be the latter. Labors original campaign was effectively planned and executed, with a very substantial budget and heavy involvement of political allies. Elliot has received support from a handful of backbenchers, along with her assertion to The New Daily: A lot of people in my area were raising their concerns. Ive been inundated.  However, social media support  even when extensive  does not make a false claim true, as demonstrated by Donald Trumps big lie about the US election being stolen. In her defence, Elliot  who was parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs and trade in the first Rudd government  says she wont be silenced. But no matter how often she repeats her unsupported allegation, it seems most unlikely to have any wider impact. Tony Jaques is an expert on issue and crisis management and risk communication. He is CEO of Melbourne-based consultancy Issue Outcomes and his latest book is Crisis Counsel: Navigating Legal and Communication Conflict.