Kalgoorlie mum begins hunger strike in protest of the Indue Ltd Cashless Debit Card roll out
Diane Savill, a 60 year old diabetic mother with severe lung problems and her husband of twenty six years Vic, are long-term residents of Kalgoorlie WA, the third location of the LNP’s Indue LTD Cashless Debit Card roll out.
Both Diane and her husband are receiving the Disability Support Pension and have been trying to get an exemption from the card trial for the last 5 weeks, but to no avail.
On top of chronic diabetic concerns, Diane’s lungs were damaged after a bout of swine flu which has been increasingly debilitating. Vic has a broken back and is unable to read or to write given severe dyslexia. Vic also gets confused with numbers, he is unable to use mobile phones, eftpos, ATMs and computers and this means he is going to be unable to use the Indue Card in his daily life and will become totally dependent on his wife for every transaction, incapable of self-managing with dignity.
Quite literally, Vic will have no financial or personal independence if he remains on the Indue Card and he will be unable to officially authorise his wife to use his card on his behalf owing to a clause in the Indue terms and conditions [13.1 No Joint Access, p24 Indue LTD Terms and Conditions] which forbids card holders from allowing anyone access to their card, pin number or online portal.
Diane is not Vic’s registered carer and is not physically able herself to become such, nor is she his Centrelink payment nominee, and so attempts to apply for exemption have been rejected. As she noted on her page this week, “It’s not his fault he’s got a busted back, dyslexia and brain damage from a brain tumour.”
The roll out of the Indue Cashless Debit Card program in their region has caused significant stress for them both and has also created friction within their marriage over concerns for independance, privacy, and ongoing care needs. Diane and Vic have only recently sold their house and were planning to move to a location outside of the trial zone. If they remain on the card, aside from all other complications, they will be the only members of that community compelled to publicly use an Indue Cashless Debit Card.
Diane’s distress has increased over the past few weeks as she has struggled to find a satisfactory route through the exemption process and she has found herself increasingly depressed. This distress has peaked since the 14-day activation time period limit given to her by the Department of Human Services, was reached just yesterday.
Unable to find the answers or support needed for herself and her husband, Diane has chosen over the past five weeks to actively protest against the card on the street and has participated in events held at the office of Rick Wilson MP and in front of Centrelink in Kalgoorlie. In desperation at the impending crisis her family now faces and with her refusal to activate the Indue Card and submit herself and her family to even more distress and loss of autonomy, Diane has chosen to take what she feels is an inevitable next step.
Like most forced Indue Card trial participants, neither Diane or Vic drink to excess, use non-prescribed drugs or gamble, and both have worked and paid taxes most of their adult lives. They have been responsible non-violent citizens and active community members. With their child now grown, they had hoped the expected move would offer some hope for peace and security in their lives.
Diane has telephoned CDC hotlines and visited CDC offices over these past few weeks in attempts to be heard and have their family’s concerns taken seriously, only to be ‘brushed off’ and to find local area staff had not even read the Terms and Conditions of card use themselves, so could not answer her questions.
Diane also visited a local area counseling service to discuss her emotional concerns in hopes of finding relief and support. Instead, she reports she was pressured into stopping her protests by the clinician on duty, who insisted to her that Diane herself was responsible for the embarrassment and shame that ‘other clients’ had been experiencing and reporting to her. At this point, Diane declared that she had enough and made an impassioned plea from her Facebook page that the right to protest and to speak out where the only rights she had left.
Frustrated and confounded by the lack of awareness for people living with disabilities she has faced, Diane has since made a decision to protest in the only way she does feel she has left to her, that is, to begin a hunger strike. Diane takes this action with the hope of calling attention to her family’s plight and to the acute distress being experienced not just by her family, but by increasing numbers of people whose lives have been turned upside down having been forced to accept third party income management for no just cause and without their consent in order to continue to receive their lawful Social Security Entitlements.
In Diane’s own words – “I will not say yes and activate that card – I would rather starve.”
Diane begins her hunger strike today, 10/5/2018, in Kalgoorlie Western Australia.
We have been assured, that all that can be done, has been done to ensure Dianes safety and proximity to support, and that Diane is aware of the risks and consequences that her actions may incur.
While we cannot condone actions that may lead to personal injury, we are compelled to support Diane and Vic as members of our extended community and we cannot deny Diane herself, her human right to protest their treatment by the Department of Human Services.
We call upon Minister Dan Tehan to immediately intervene and examine Diane and Vic’s case and to investigate the roll out process currently underway within the Goldfields Region as a matter of urgency, to ensure no other families or individuals are in similar distress unseen and unheard.
This article was originally published on saynoseven.wordpress.com.
12 comments
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ajogrady
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Matters Not
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Andrew Phillips
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helvityni
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Pamela king
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etnorb
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No Cashless Welfare Debit Australia
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SNS ADMIN
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SNS ADMIN
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Matters Not
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SNS ADMIN
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Matters Not
Return to home pageThe Indue card is just one of many corrupt and criminal L/NP scams to remove taxpayers funds into the coffers of the L/NP just as Parakeelia is.
Not sure who is advising The Say NO Seven activist group (admirable as their intentions are) but this article is a classic example of over-cooking the goose.
It won’t be picked up on the MSM because it’s simply over the top. And if it was/were picked up, it would only be for comedic relief. Sorry but it’s not credible. It’s counterproductive in its most probable outcome – (not criticising the intent.).
As for Indue funneling monies into the LNP. Perhaps a link? Objectively, there’s as much (if not more speculative) evidence that funds are or were channelled to the ALP. I should stress that neither claim is credible.
Why don’t people do some homework? Why are they so gullible to fake news? Why are credit unions under such attack from both the left and the right?
Ducks head.
For a hunger strike to be effective, one must rely on empathy for success. Regardless of how much empathy the general community has for people subjected to this evil policy, the LNP are devoid of such human qualities and will remain totally unaffected. If she were to perish they would just see it as one less leaner to support. Good intentions born from deperation but a totally ineffective and useless stance with this lot of amoral reprobates at the helm.
I don’t expect no better from Governments that punish asylum seekers (who did not drown), by keeping them forever on some forgotten Island …Sad and depressing, inhumane.
LNP don’t care. The cruel and inhuman treatment of people is unacceptable. Vote them out!!
Bloody liberal dickheads, as usual, stuffing up people on Welfare or Pensions etc! This disgusting bloody “cashless debit card” crap, is just that, crap! It was created up by the inept, lying, obscenely over-paid so-called “liberal” politicians (I use these terms advisedly!), because they DO NOT “care” a hoot about any “problems” with Aborigines, people on Welfare or Pensioners, they just want to control them! BASTARDS!!
Matters Not seems to not have a heart , but then again that is what the problem seems to be these days, to ridicule the protest of a 60+ yr old women who is at her witts end is disgusting, but then again, as your profile is matters not says it all about it. But to many it does matter, and this gov’t should never be pushing people to take such drastic action to protest the forcible removal of their rights in this country as an equal citizen, considering there has been no crime committed for the punishment, no reason given for the forced intervention on her life. But then again just like certain trolls on the net, some people cannot understand or don’t want to understand nor care what it would be like to have your autonomy stipped from you, your very sense of self worth and all your human and legal protections that ALL citizens should have not just the select few. Segregating our own citizens based on income source or health issues or age is disgusting , in fact it’s not good enough. All for the profits of a private company Indue Ltd, Not even a bank, and not covered like the rest of population under the banking consumer banking laws, privacy laws, leave people at the mercy of a private company and the DSS without any help should they be further taken advantage of.
Matters Not, had you bothered to watch any of the Senate debates and Committee sessions; had ever read any of the submissions to the Senate inquiry or undertaken any research whatever, your questions regarding SAS Holdings lobby group/Nationals Party president Anthony Larry and the history of Indue Ltd and LNP collusion would have been well answered.
WE have done our homework, now how about you go and do yours.
That you could stoop so low, find a human beings pain and this families frustration ‘comedic relief’ says all we need to know about you. Thank you for revealing that to us, we won’t bother to make any further effort to educate.
UPDATE: WONDERFUL NEWS!
Diane was contacted early this evening 11/05/18 and has been officially exempted from the Indue Ltd Cashless Debit Card trial!
Husband Vic remains ‘pending’ but we are hopeful for him and several others also in pending mode at this time.
THANKYOU Australian Independant Media for your support and to everyone who has supported Di and Vic over the past five weeks.
#WEARETHEMEDIA
#faithmanages
#STOPTHECARD
SNS ADMIN re:
Great! But perhaps the much more important question then becomes the ‘why’? Did the contact provide a rationale or espouse a principle that provides a basis for further legal action? If so, then please provide. If not, then the speculative ‘why’ also becomes significant?
The possibilities are many and varied and while I could speculate, I seek your view(s).
Or are you only interested in pursuing individual cases and not some guiding principles for a more generalised outcome?
Not that I want to avoid my homework. LOL. Or indeed reading your historical construction of Indue,
Matters Not. No one is required to justify themselves or their positions to you or to explain anything to you. You have made your position clear. How what when where why and any matter ongoing related to this case and the future of the protest against the CDC as a whole, is simply none of your business. We will not respond to web trolls. Go find your comedic relief elsewhere.
SNS ADMIN
Indeed! But please explain why you bothered to respond?
Putting that aside. Could you explain as to whether you are about establishing some appeal principles – ones that might be universally applied – or just hoping for a political, pragmatic ‘exceptional’ individual ruling?
Tactics or strategy? “One-off” or more generalised?
And I know you can’t respond.