The Commonwealth Government is taking steps to combat the problem of some merchants using Indigenous Australians' electronic bank cards as security for store credit, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Philip Ruddock, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Senator Ian Campbell, said today.
"It is a matter of concern if any Australians are giving out the personal identification number for their bank accounts and it is of greater concern that some unscrupulous people appear to be taking advantage of this," Mr Ruddock said.
"The Government has been concerned with banking services and how they relate to Indigenous Australians for some time and made an election commitment to do more to bring about improvements.
"The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) is also addressing the problem and I agree with Chairman Geoff Clark's comments that more needs to be done."
Mr Ruddock and Senator Campbell will meet Mr Clark to further discuss the issue and Mr Ruddock also undertook to raise the issue with his Commonwealth ministerial colleagues when they next meet.
"The States and Territories also have an important role to play and the Federal Government is prepared to work together with them," Mr Ruddock said.
"The ATSIC chair and I have a programme of meeting State and Territory leaders, and I hope to meet with the WA Premier soon. I expect this matter will feature on our agenda."
Senator Campbell said that both the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are developing concrete initiatives.
"ASIC, which has consumer protection responsibility for financial services, has commissioned an independent consultant to prepare a report that will be published in March. A range of responses are already being considered, and ASIC will continue to liaise with ATSIC," Senator Campbell said.
"I will be discussing progress on this report with ASIC commissioners next Friday in Brisbane.
"The ACCC has also been working with State and Territory Consumer Affairs agencies and key stakeholders, including ATSIC, the Aboriginal Coordinating Council, the Australian Retailers Association and pastoral organisations, to develop `Storecharter', a voluntary service charter for stores serving remote Indigenous communities.
"This will be an educative tool designed to increase trading standards in stores, increase compliance with existing laws and help develop better relationships between traders and communities."
Other initiatives supported by the Commonwealth include a workshop to be convened by ATSIC in Alice Springs in April.
A 12 month banking trial is being conducted by the Department of Family and Community Services (DFACS) and Westpac in Alice Springs, which involves placing an automatic teller machine (ATM) within Indigenous organisations and training users.
In May, Indigenous Business Australia, ATSIC and DFACS will hold a two-day workshop on Indigenous banking. The workshop will be jointly chaired by IBA chair Joseph Elu and Westpac chairman Leon Davis.
"This is an important issue, and Commonwealth is actively working on programmes that combat contributing factors such as substance abuse," Mr Ruddock said.
13 February 2002
Media enquiries:
Mr Ruddock's office: Jeremy Chitty 0418 971 042
Senator Campbell's office: Georgia-Kate Schubert 02 6277 3955 or 0419 265234