News Service from House Harris

NT: Aborigines left hungry because of bungle: activist

DARWIN, Jan 19 AAP - Aborigines in Alice Springs were unable to buy food or drinks for two days because of a "glitch" in the income management (IM) system, a local activist says.

Angry residents are calling on federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin to take responsibility for the bungle.

Income management - a key plank of the federal intervention to stamp out child sex abuse - ensures half of people's welfare money is spent on essentials, and not alcohol, drugs and gambling.

Aborigines have been given cards, acceptable at only certain stores, to spend their allocated payment.

But Alice Springs resident and intervention activist Barbara Shaw said the cards failed to work from Friday morning until Saturday night.

"Anyone trying to buy food or drinks and other goods were not able to do so," Ms Shaw said.

"Many Aboriginal people, after travelling - often on foot - to the supermarket to buy food and a cool drink were turned away at the checkout when their card refused to work."

Those affected included the many people who travelled from remote communities to the desert town to stock up on food.

Ms Shaw said the local Centrelink office, which is normally open on Saturdays, was also closed.

"We went in mid-afternoon on Saturday to do some shopping and they said that the basics card system was down," she said.

"My sister in law wasn't able to buy milk and nappies for her baby. How many others have missed out on feeding their children?

"Jenny Macklin says more food is being brought with this system. But we are going hungry."

Marlene Hodder, spokeswoman for the Intervention Rollback Action Group, said the mishap was "appalling".

"The government has already wasted hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money on this disastrous system," she said.

"That money should be spent on programs and services to help people who are struggling to survive and want help with budgeting and financial management."

Ms Shaw said it was not the first time Centrelink had mismanaged funds.

"Three weeks in a row $70 of my food credit has been misplaced," she said.

"We need control of our own money. This legislation is racist and must be repealed."

Protesters plan to converge on Canberra for the start of the parliamentary year to demand an end to the income management system.

Comment is being sought from Ms Macklin's office, and from Centrelink.