Opponents of welfare quarantining in Northern Territory indigenous communities have labelled a proposed Federal Government beef-up of the measure as ''income management on steroids''.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin introduced legislation in Parliament yesterday to continue and extend the income management scheme brought in under the former Howard government's NT intervention.
Under the plan, parents of children who don't go to class across the territory will have to attend family conferences with their school and Centrelink before welfare payments are docked if truancy isn't stamped out.
Alcohol-related criminal offences will also be linked to income management and there will be jail terms for grog running.
At a Senate hearing in late October, a Department of Education official said an early evaluation of the pilot program showed ''mixed success rates''.
Ms Macklin told Parliament the proposed laws complied with the Racial Discrimination Act.
She said it was vital to get truant kids back into the classroom.
''A good education is a firm foundation for a stronger future,'' she said.
Alcohol abuse was at the heart of dysfunction, violence and abuse in many communities, Ms Macklin told Parliament.
Opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Nigel Scullion accused the Gillard Government of wasting time.
In mid-2011, the Federal Government undertook a six-week whistle-stop consultation tour through 100 NT communities and claims the tough income management measures were requested by them.
Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert disputes this claim and says not enough time was spent on consultations.
She says she has seen analysis of eight transcripts in which consultation participants were asked leading questions and some communities weren't asked about income management at all.
She described the draft laws as ''income management on steroids''.
In a joint statement, 24 Aboriginal bodies, community welfare and public health groups have criticised the approach.
Australian Council of Social Service head Cassandra Goldie said the top-down measures discriminated against the poorest people, while child health expert Fiona Stanley said racism and bullying were among factors in discouraging Aboriginal children from attending school.
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