Uniting Communities welcomes the opportunity to provide comment to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, as a contribution towards the thematic report to the UN General Assembly on digital technology, social protection and human rights.

Uniting Communities is a founding member of the Accountable Income Management Network (AIMN), which focuses on Australia’s social welfare system and plays an advocacy role by drawing attention to the issues and impacts of compulsory income management and welfare conditionality.

This submission focuses on income support payment mechanisms that are increasingly becoming automated, with the concomitant privatising and outsourcing of aspects of the administration of these systems. The specific case study is that of the Cashless Debit Card, and attention is given to the implications for the digital rights and human rights of those subjected to this Card.

Title: Submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, for the thematic report to the UN General Assembly on digital technology, social protection and human rights.