New Cashless Debit Card evaluation extends to Goldfields

A second evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card across the three trial sites will assess the ongoing effectiveness of the program.

Minister for Social Services Dan Tehan and Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson today announced the evaluation while touring the trial site in the Goldfields region in Western Australia.

Mr Tehan said further evaluation in the Goldfields would demonstrate the card’s positive effect.

“The Goldfields trial incorporates learnings from the first evaluation, such as new local shopfronts where people can get help with their cards,” Mr Tehan said.

“The shopfronts have provided more than 1,000 face-to-face customer interactions. More than 2,600 cards have been issued and we are on track for all Goldfields participants to be using their card in the coming months.”

Mr Wilson said he was already hearing anecdotal evidence of positive changes in the region since the introduction of the card.

“The latest evaluation is an important part of measuring the effectiveness of the current trial sites and demonstrating the positive social impact that this card is having on people’s lives,” Mr Wilson said.

“We’ve seen the success it has had in other regions and this evaluation will help us collect more robust data to continue to build on those initial results.”

The first evaluation showed the card was working in Ceduna, South Australia, and East Kimberley, Western Australia, with less money spent on drinking, gambling and drugs.

The second evaluation will use the University of Queensland’s research methodologies and measurements of social conditions in the Goldfields developed by the University of Adelaide.

The evaluation findings will be published late 2019.

More information about the Cashless Debit Card is available on the DSS website.