Senator Jacqui Lambie to support welfare drug testing trial only if MPs are also tested

Monday, 9 September 2019 10:11

By Monique Welhan

Senator Jacqui Lambie has backed the government's plan to drug test welfare recipients, but only if politicians are also tested.

Senator Lambie, who could hold the deciding vote when the legislation is reintroduced into parliament this week, said if the government wants her support she expects MPs to also be drug tested.

"I want to see the politicians up there grow a spine and you don’t go and put something on someone else that you don’t expect to put on yourself," Senator Lambie said.

"If you’ve got nothing to hide up there in that big white house then it’s now your turn to go and do that random drug and alcohol test. What’s wrong with you people, might miss a few wines after 8 o’clock at night will we? That’ll keep the backbenchers in line."

The two-year trial will see 5000 Youth Allowance and Newstart recipients tested for illicit substances including ice, ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine and heroin.

A welfare recipient who fails the drug test will be put on an income management plan where 80 per cent of their income will be placed on a cashless debit card.

The trial would be rolled out in three locations - Logan in Queensland, Canterbury-Bankstown in NSW and Mandurah in WA.

A second bill will also be introduced into parliament this week which, if passed, will see cashless welfare card trials expanded.

If the Govt is saying that welfare recipients should be drug tested because they are on the public purse then by that logic everyone else being paid by the taxpayer should also be subject to drug testing why just pick on poor people? #auspol
— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) September 8, 2019